The Senate has urged the Police Service Commission (PSC) in conjunction with Nigeria Police Force (NPF)to recruit a minimum of 10 candidates from each of the 774 local government councils in Nigeria.
The upper chamber also urged the PSC and NPF to adhere to the Federal Character principle in recruitment of constables into the NPF.
The Senate resolution followed the adoption of a motion sponsored by Senator Emmanuel Udende (Benue East) at plenary on Thursday.
Udende, in his motion titled “Need for the Police Service Commission and the Nigeria Police Force to adhere to the Federal Character principle in the recruitment of constables into the Nigeria Police Force” said that the then President, Muhammadu Buhari, led administration had ordered recruitment of 10, 000 constables annually as part of measures to address the nation’s security challenges.
He said the current government under President Bola Tinubu was keen in implementing the policy of recruiting 10, 000 police constables annually.
He said that the recruitment, was supposed to be conducted based on the equality of local governments giving its community policing tendencies.
According to him, the recruitment on the basis of local governments was to give effect to the federal character principle which was borne out of the need to ensure evenness in spreading government appointments.
He said the recruitment on local governments basis was to also promote inclusion, representation, give a sense of belonging and balance in the polity.
Udende said section 14 (3) of the 1999 constitution as amended, captured the federal character, adding that the section provides that the composition of the Government of the Federation or any of its agencies reflects the federal character of Nigeria.
This, he said was to promote national unity and also to command national loyalty, thereby ensuring that there shall be no predominance of persons from a few states or from a few ethnic or other sectional groups in that government or any of its agencies.
He expressed worry that that the recruitment on state basis as against the local government areas as initially contemplated and adopted would lead to “disproportional and lopsided recruitment”.
“It was extremely important to always reflect a fair representation of all local government areas in the recruitments to eschew and address the feeling and sense of marginalisation and injustice by certain zones, states and local governments in the Nigeria Police Force”.
Senate in its further resolution urged the Committees on Police Affairs and Legislative Compliance to ensure compliance of resolutions of Senate by concerned agencies on the recruitment.
By Haruna Salami
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