Recruitment of 30,000 fresh policemen as ordered by Tinubu stalled due to decayed training schools

…Presidential committee tours the nation, confronted by collapsed centres

It has emerged that the recruitment of 30,000 additional policemen cannot be done as ordered by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu due to collapse of the various training schools in the country.

Now, the urgent need for war against crime and terror seems to have put dome fire and pressure on the FG who pushed the committee it had set up to get cracking right away. In fact, according to committee members, the FG asked them to break into two teams. One went to the north, the other headed south.

They seemed to realise that recruitment would not take place because there is no facility to train them.

Gov Peter Mbah of Enugu State said: “The president personally inaugurated this committee because he recognises that we are at a security crossroads. Nothing short of a complete and urgent overhaul is required. The president has already approved the recruitment of 30,000 new police personnel, but that process cannot begin without functional training institutions.”

The ‘Presidential Committee on the Overhaul and Revamp of Training Institutions for Security Agencies’, chaired by Gov Mbah came face to face with decayed infrastructure in Nonwa Tai, which stands as a Police Training School.

The school has attracted lamentations from Gov Sim Fubara during a courtesy call. The committee thus said it was working closely with consultants to meet its deadline for submitting findings and comprehensive bill of quantities that would capture the total cost of refurbishing the country’s security training facilities for full implementation.

Hope thus rose for the Nonwa-Tai centre and other police training centres around the country due to the ongoing nationwide assessment of security training institutions.

The committee, which was inaugurated by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at a meeting of the National Economic Council, was joined on the visit by Gov Fubara of Rivers State, Gov Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State, and Baba Usman, a retired Inspector General of Police who is the secretary of the committee.

Addressing newsmen after the inspection, Gov Mbah said the visit followed Mr President’s directive to urgently assess and rehabilitate all police and security training facilities across the country.

He also explained that the visit formed part of a fact-finding mission to verify the true condition of the country’s training centres. “We have received reports from across the country, but we came to see things for ourselves,” he said.

“We cannot demand integrity and excellence from our officers when the institutions that train them are neglected and broken down. This exercise reflects the president’s commitment to get things done and done quickly.”

Gov Mbah stated that the project would be handled with the urgency it deserves. “These facilities have endured decades of neglect, and now the president has decided we must act.

“The first phase of our work will last one month, after which the committee will oversee the renovation, re-equipping, and reconstruction process. This will not be a patchwork, it will be a total rebuild.”

Also speaking, Gov Fubara described the visit as a step towards restoring professionalism and positive morale within the police force.

“The president has made a bold statement that he wants properly trained officers,” he said.

He went on: “This is not just talk. I believe he means it. It is not only about fixing buildings; it is about rebuilding morale and professionalism.”

Amplifying the seriousness of Mr President, Gov Abiodun said the committee has been given four weeks to complete its assignment. He disclosed that the members had been divided into two groups, one covering training centres in the North and the other inspecting those in the South.

“This is clear evidence of political will from Mr President,” Gov Abiodun said.

“He wants immediate implementation. You cannot train 30,000 new police personnel in these kinds of conditions. What we have seen here in Nonwa-Tai is similar to what we have seen in Lagos, Jos, and Maiduguri. We will submit a detailed report and a budget framework for full rehabilitation so that recruitment and training can begin under proper conditions.”