PSC inaugurates Police Recruitment Board

Nigeria - The Chairman of the Police Service Commission, PSC, Dr Solomon Arase, retd IGP today, Monday September 4th, 2023 inaugurated the first-ever Police Recruitment Board, PRB, saddled with the conduct of recruitment exercises into the Nigeria Police Force, NPF, with a plea to the members to recruit only the best Nigerians for the Force.

According to Dr. Arase, at the inauguration held at the Commission’s headquarters, the recruitment exercise would commence in no distant time, adding that it was coming on the heels of Presidential approval for the annual recruitment of 10,000 personnel into the Force. 

He said, it was part of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s promise during the electioneering campaigns, aimed at strengthening the Nigeria Police towards optimal functionality in resolving the insecurity challenge in Nigeria.

According to him, "Every Nigerian who is desirous of Police Reforms in our dear country is, therefore, implored to assist the Board during the recruitment exercise by ensuring that the bad eggs in society are not foisted on the Board and/or allowed to surreptitiously get recruited into the NPF without alerting the Board through whistle-blowing".

He listed some of the mandates of the board as determining and declaring the available vacancies in the NPF that need to be filled and drawing up guidelines for every recruitment process in the Nigeria Police Force.

Others include: determining the online platform to be employed in the advertorials and recruitment of applicants, as well as the placement of advertorials in national dailies and other forms of information dissemination on the recruitment, among others.

He, however, urged the members of the Board to shun corruption in its entirety and its appearances, saying they should "strive like Caesar’s wife to be above board in the conduct of the recruitment exercise". 

Responding, the Deputy Inspector General of Police, DIG Training Department of the Force, and DIG Bala Ciroma assured that the Board would carry out its assignment diligently to be devoid of conflicts of interest in the national interest. 

The Chairman of the board is Commissioner representing the South East zone at the PSC, Onyemuche Nnamani, a Deputy Commissioner of Police, Olabode Akinbamilowo is the Secretary.

Members of the board include: DIG in-charge of Development Training Department of the police, DIG Bala Ciroma; Alhaji Muhammed Magaji from the Ministry of Police Affairs; Mrs. Ifeoma Anyanwutaku, (Permanent Secretary of the PSC), Prof. Joseph Olowofela from the Federal Character Commission and Representative of Police Colleges, CP Hassan Yabanet.

Other members are: Yusuf Sanusi of the Recruitment Department of the PSC, Sani Usman Hada of the ICT Unit of the PSC, Barr. Victoria Onyekwuluije of the Legal Department of the PSC and DSP Ahanmisi Obehi of the Office of the Chairman of the PSC.