The Speaker of House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, has assured that the ninth National Assembly will continue to ensure adequate funding for the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) in order to tackle the multifaceted security challenges threatening the corporate existence of the country.
Gbajabiamila gave the assurance at the weekend while speaking at the graduation ceremony of 40 Assistant Commissioners of Police (ACPs) of the Strategic Leadership And Command Course, SLCC 2/2021 held at the National Institute of Police Studies, Life Camp, Jabi, Abuja
The speaker, who was represented by Hon Lynda Ikpeazu, said that Nigeria could not afford to lose police personnel in a war they were not fully equipped to contain while the terrorists are brandishing sophisticated and modern weapons.
According to him, “We all know that right now in Nigeria is not the best of times for us. There are lots of security challenges. My point is that all lives matter. For you to do your job well, you must be properly equipped. I will like to say that the 9th National Assembly will always be ready to support the police with adequate funds to acquire necessary weapons and the enabling environment to confront the current security challenges the nation is facing.
“If people are not well equipped, there is no way you can send them out there to go and fight and be killed. So, it becomes the responsibility of the police and the IGP to let us know where we can come in as legislators. The ninth National Assembly has done much to improve the NPF with the passage of the Police 2020 Act, the passage of the Police Police Trust Fund as well as the ongoing review of the Police Service Commission, PSC Act amongst others.”
Also speaking, the Senate Committee Chairman on Police Affairs, Senator Haliru Jika, who represented the president of Senate, Senator Ahmed Lawan tasked the graduating officers to know that their opinions and interpretations on issues matter most and such they should apply the knowledge gained in their daily activities in order to make the world a safer place.
He congratulated the institute’s director-general, Professor Olu Ogunsakin, for putting in his expertise and professionalism to ensure things work at the institute.
The inspector-general of police, IGP Usman Alkali Baba charged the graduating officers to apply their knowledge in the best possible way in ensuring a better police force for Nigerians.