The police council has approved and confirmed the appointment of the acting Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, as substantive IGP.
Minister of Police Affairs, Ibrahim Gaidam, made this known on Tuesday in Abuja while briefing journalists at the end of the council’s meeting held at the Presidential Villa.
The police council has the president, governors, and chairman of the Police Service Commission (PSC) as its members.
Its role is confined to the declared purpose of advising the president in the appointment of an IGP.
Mr Gaidam said that the meeting centred on the confirmation of the IGP, who had been in an acting capacity since four months ago.
According to Mr Gaidam, Mr Egbetokun is eminently qualified to be appointed as the IGP because of his dedication and commitment to the force and to national security.
“We just had a meeting of the Police Council with President Bola Tinubu. The meeting focused on the confirmation of the acting Inspector-General of Police as the substantive Inspector-General of Police.
“He has been in an acting capacity since he was appointed three or four months ago. Based on our records and what we physically see in him, he has a very rich curriculum vitae.
“He has attended several police and security courses, and he is eminently qualified to be confirmed.
“I found him to be very qualified, very honest, very transparent, and very hardworking,’’ Mr Gaidam said.
Similarly, the minister of state for police affairs, Imaan Suleiman-Ibrahim, said Mr Egbetokun had demonstrated a clear understanding of the “Renewed Hope” police agenda.
“I invite everyone to be part of this reform. In the past, we had reform papers that were not implemented. The current reform within the police ecosystem will be different.
“This reform is going to be backed by resources so that it is fully implemented and actualised. I invite the general public to perform their obligation toward policing.
“Police affairs are citizen affairs; everybody has a role to play,’’ Nigeria’s first female minister of state for police affairs said.
On his part, the chairman of the PSC and former IGP, Solomon Arase, affirmed that Mr Egbetokun’s confirmation would give him the necessary confidence to lead his men.
He said, apart from the confirmation of the IGP, Mr Tinubu was also desirous of security sector reforms.
“We believe that there is a need for us to sit with critical stakeholders and take a look again at our internal security management.
“We need to look at all issues; examine timelines and implementation strategies,’’ Mr Arase said.
In his remarks, Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State underscored the need for synergy between the police and state governments, considering the security situation in the country.
“I want to use this opportunity to congratulate the IGP, but more importantly, to express great appreciation to the president and members of the council for his confirmation.
“Now, it is very important for us to understand the synergy between the IGP, the police as a whole, and the states, especially at a time like this when we are having security challenges in one state or the other.
“I believe very strongly that the IGP knows what is happening in this country; he is concerned about the challenges that we are having.
“He has been going from state to state; I know that he has been to Nasarawa State a couple of times, and we believe very strongly that he will pick it up from there as a matter of fact,’’ he said.
In another remark, Governor Dapo Abiodunof Ogun said Mr Governor Dapo Abiodun Egbetokun addressed the council meeting on “The State of Police in Nigeria’’.
He said the IGP spoke about the need for technology-driven and community-based policing as well as adequate budgetary provisions.
“He also spoke about the need to re-examine police recruitment, a point that was canvassed and further elucidated upon by the Chairman of the PSC.
“This led to the constitution of a committee by the president with the Minister of Police Affairs, Chairman of the PSC, the National Security Adviser, and Chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum as members.
“The committee will look at points raised and ensure that recruits are indeed very eligible,’’ Mr Abiodun said. (NAN)
