President Buhari orders increase in Police salaries, benefits

President Muhammadu Buhari said that he has directed the upward review of salaries and benefits for police officers in the country.

This is part of the present administration’s efforts at reforming and repositioning the Nigerian Police Force and national policing architecture especially at this period when the country is going through serious security challenges.

This disclosure was made by the President while delivering a speech on Thursday, during a one-day visit to Lagos State, to inaugurate the 157-kilometre Lagos-Ibadan standard rail project at the Mobolaji Johnson railway station in Ebutte Metta and the Integrated National Security and Waterways Protection Infrastructure, otherwise known as the Deep Blue Project.

What President Buhari said

Buhari in his statement said:

“We are currently recruiting 10,000 new police officers to reinforce our personnel capacity across the country. In addition, I have directed the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission to carry out an upward review of Police salaries and benefits.

Let me also use this opportunity to commend the leadership of the Force for their efforts, for the reforms being implemented in the area of police pensions. I have charged the Inspector General of Police to leave no stone unturned in the rebuilding of the morale of his officers and men.

Let me also use this opportunity to reiterate that my directive to security agencies to shoot any person or persons found illegally with AK 47 and other assault weapons remain in place.”

President Buhari said that no government since 1999 had been as committed as his administration in reforming and repositioning the Nigeria Police Force and national policing architecture.

He said, “In 2019, I signed into law the Act establishing the Nigeria Police Trust Fund, the first in the history of the Force, to provide guaranteed funding to support Police welfare, logistics and equipment.

In September 2020, I assented to the bill amending the Nigeria Police Act, which was originally enacted in 1943. This new Act, a vast improvement over the old one, among other things, spells out the modalities for the implementation of a National Community Policing Scheme in Nigeria.

This new scheme will build confidence within our local communities and make them active stakeholders in the safety and security of their environs.’’

Bottomline

This is good news for advocates of better funding of the Nigeria Police Force and better welfare for police officers. This was also part of the agitation of Nigerians during the #EndSARS protest across the country in October 2020.