The Police Service Commission (PSC) has received a presidential delegation led by the special adviser to the President on Policy and Coordination and head, Central Results Delivery Coordination Unit, Hadiza Bala Usman.
At the meeting, the chairman of the commission, DIG Hashimu Argungu, who led the commission’s team, told the visitors that the commission is at present faced with the twin problems of inadequate funding and unending and surreptitious attempt to hijack its mandate.
The chairman said the commission was grossly underfunded and incapable of effectively and efficiently executing its constitutional mandate of police recruitment, promotion and discipline, adding that this anomaly is also worsened by a struggle by different and divergent interests to hijack its mandate and dilute its efficiency and effectiveness.
Argungu said the commission is committed to leverage on its established policy of accountability and transparency, to herald a police force ready and prepared for the 21st Century policing.
He mentioned inadequacy of staff returns from the Nigeria Police Force, institutional conflicts, limited nationwide presence, inadequate funding and public trust deficit as some of the areas of support the Commission requires from the visiting team.
According to him, “One of the key problems the Police Service Commission is facing is unnecessary interference into its constitutional and statutory mandate” adding that “the central result delivery coordination unit should assist the commission fence off these interlopers and ensure that the commission is allowed to do its work.”
DIG Argungu recommended “an independent budgeting system for the commission that gives it the ability to submit its budget directly to the presidency noting that ” the PSC act of 2001 Section 15(1) mandates the commission to submit its estimate of expenditure and income during the next succeeding year, not later than 30th September in each year to the president. ”
Spokesperson of the commission, Ikechukwu Ani said while responding, the leader of the visiting delegation, Ms. Usman pledged to work to ensure that the commission is allowed to execute its constitutional mandate. “We will look at your mandate and will ensure you are allowed to do your work. We will de-bottleneck the problems and we will have a PSC that stands alone and not an attachment of any ministry,” she said.
She said the objective of the working visit “is to strengthen the collaboration between the Police Service Commission and the Ministry of Police Affairs and clarify the role of PSC in the achievement of the presidential area on strengthening national security for peace and prosperity”.
