There are very strong indications that the new salary increase approved by President Muhammadu Buhari in November last year for policemen would be paid next week.

This is to boost the morale of policemen for effective performance in the forthcoming elections.

Investigations reveal that the presidency released a special fund two weeks ago for the payment.

But the fund earlier released was believed to be inadequate to pay junior and senior personnel, prompting the police authorities to write to the presidency requesting for extra fund to pay personnel.

It was further learnt that the new salary increase announced by President Buhari was not supposed to be paid now until the 2019 budget is approved and money released to various ministries and departments.

This is because the salary increase was not included in the 2018 budget of the police.

However, investigations have revealed that the presidency reasoned that if the new salary increase was paid before the elections, especially in January, the morale of policemen would be high to perform creditably well.

Subsequently, the former Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris, was requested to work out the difference in the salary increase and forward this to the presidency for release of funds.

The Assistant Inspector-General of Police (AIG), Force Accounting and Budget, and the Deputy Inspector-General of Police (DIG), Finance and Administration, were said to have submitted the salary difference to Idris who in turn submitted it to the presidency.

However, the shortfall was said to have been released last week, just as the new IGP Adamu Mohammed took over from Idris.

Investigations also revealed that the arrears would not be paid with January salary, but would be spread over subsequent months.

Presidential Spokesman, Femi Adesina, could not respond to text messages sent to him on the matter.

Similarly, Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Frank Mba, responding to our SMS, said: “I have no immediate information on this. However, I’ll check with the appropriate departmental head and revert to you as quickly as possible.”

But as at press time, no response was received from him.

Meanwhile, Lt. General Abdulrahman Dambazzau, Minister of Interior, has opened up on why the Nigeria police have been on the back foot in addressing the nation’s internal security challenges in the last three years of the present administration, blaming it on the leadership style of immediate past Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris.

Gen. Dambazzau gave the hint when Mohammed Abubakar Adamu, the new Inspector General of Police (IGP), paid him a courtesy visit in his office in Abuja.

The minister said the police under Idris lost their bearing as leading internal security agency, and failed to benefit from any policy direction of the Federal Government.

He said the former IGP severed the relationship between the force and its parent ministry, the Ministry of Interior, and with dire consequences for the entire security outfit.

The police, he said, suffered neglect as issues concerning them never came before the Federal Executive Council in those three years.

Highlighting how serious the problem was, General Dambazzau disclosed that since taking charge as minister, he had presented about 25 memoranda before the Federal Executive Council, and that not one of the memos addressed the challenges faced by the police.

He said: “I came in here as minister in November 2015 and Mr. Arase, who was the IG at the time, we had a cordial relationship but I think when Arase left, there was a severance of relationship, but not completely because most of our dealings in terms of internal security were with DIG Operations.

“This is because we thought we must vigorously continue to carry out our mandate, regardless of those challenges, for the benefit of the police as an institution”.

He added: “Throughout those three years, we have presented over 25 memos to the Federal Executive Council that has to do with policies, projects, and so on, but none of those memos was on the police.

“This is the kind of thing we must try to avoid. You need a virile ministry to represent you at the Federal Executive Council.”

The minister maintained that with the kind of internal security challenges confronting the country, the police must work with relevant institutions to enhance its competencies, not only in terms of policies.

The minister said the ministry appreciated the idea of community policing, adding that the police had a lot to benefit from the ministry, especially under a democratic environment.

While assuring the IGP of the full support of the ministry, the minister said the mounting internal security challenges in the country required the cooperation of all.

Earlier, the acting IGP, who was accompanied by a newly constituted management made up of 7 DIGs and an AIG, had assured the minister of his loyalty while regretting the frosty relationship between the ministry and the force under Idris.

He said the force under his charge would work closely with the ministry to address the internal security challenges.

Fielding questions from reporters, Adamu again reassured Nigerians that the police would be professional in discharging its role during the forthcoming elections.

•Adapted from a Daily Independent report.

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