The Honourable Minister of Police Affairs, Senator Ibrahim Gaidam, has reaffirmed the Ministry’s commitment to monitoring and evaluating the implementation of Nigeria’s police reform roadmap.
Speaking at a high-level stakeholders’ engagement on police reforms in Abuja, Gaidam emphasized the need for strategic coordination of donor support to prevent duplication of efforts and ensure optimal resource allocation for Nigeria’s police development plan.
“This event aligns with our unwavering commitment to fulfilling President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s mandate to reform the Nigeria Police in accordance with global best practices,” he stated.
The engagement brought together key stakeholders, including the Chairman of the Police Service Commission, the German Ambassador to Nigeria, the Director-General of the Institute of Police Studies, and representatives from the National Security Adviser’s office, the Nigeria Police Force, the Nigeria Correctional Service, the Nigeria Police Trust Fund, CLEEN Foundation, and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
Gaidam underscored the crucial role of the Ministry in ensuring that the reform of the Nigeria Police Force is not just a policy but a priority.
He recalled President Tinubu’s directive in October 2023 for the Ministry, in collaboration with the National Security Adviser and the Police Service Commission, to develop a comprehensive blueprint for sustainable police reforms.
“This initiative is designed to reshape the narrative surrounding police reforms in Nigeria, moving beyond rhetoric and ensuring concrete, lasting changes,” he added.
He noted that the stakeholders’ engagement was aimed at fostering broad-based discussions to build consensus on police reforms, stressing that meaningful change requires collective input from various sectors of society.
“We recognize that true change cannot occur in isolation. By engaging different stakeholders, we aim to educate the public on the complexities of policing, fostering national ownership of the reform process,” Gaidam said.
The Minister assured that the engagement was not a one-time event but an ongoing process, with public opinion being integral at every stage to ensure that reforms reflect the needs and aspirations of the communities they serve.
Also speaking at the event, the German Ambassador to Nigeria, Annett Günther, highlighted Germany’s contributions to strengthening police training in Nigeria. She revealed that the German government has invested significantly in refurbishing and equipping training facilities in Lagos, Enugu, Abuja, and Kaduna, training over 1,000 police trainers in modern policing techniques, leadership, human rights, crisis communication, and gender-sensitive policing.
“Through our work with civil society organizations and national institutions, we have promoted key governance reforms, including the establishment of the Police Transformation and Reform Office (PORTO), now succeeded by the Police Reform Secretariat, which drives the reform agenda forward,” Günther said.
The engagement marks a significant step in ensuring the sustainable transformation of the Nigeria Police Force, with stakeholders agreeing on the need for continuous collaboration to achieve an effective and community-trusted policing system.
LV