The Ministry of Interior has said that, to overcome some of the challenges militating against optimal prosecution of internal security in the country, it has resolved to seek an amendment of the Police Trust Fund Act to encompass other internal security Agencies in the country.
While presenting the successes of his Ministry and its Agencies under the President Muhammadu Buhari administration, when he received participants of Senior Executive Course 43 of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPPS), Kuru, in Abuja the Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola said that the Provision of the Police Trust Fund Act holds so many potentials in resolving most of the security challenges in Nigeria.
He added that the objective of the Act which was recently signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari, came into force on the 24th of June, 2019 and was to provide a legal framework for the Management and control of a special intervention fund for training and retraining of personnel of the Nigeria Police Force and also for the provision of state-of-the-art security equipment and other related facilities for the enhancement of skills of the officers of the Nigeria Police Force.
The Minister urged participants of the Senior Executive Course 43, to support the initiative to include the Ministry of Interior which has the mandate to provide internal security for all in the Trust Fund.
Aregbesola added that it would be an overkill for the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Nigeria Correctional Service ( NCoS) and Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) which are key actors in providing internal security, to create separate Trust Funds of their own to be able to effectively achieve the Ministry’s mandate.
“We would be presenting a memo on this to the Federal Executive Council. The objective is to make available, other sources of funding to the paramilitary agencies under the Ministry to meet their needs beyond the limited allocation in the Appropriation Bill,” he stressed.
The Minister disclosed the resolve of his Ministry and its Agencies to achieve their mandates by evolving approaches to internal security, public safety and citizenship integrity driven by innovation, people, technology and systems, in addition to robust collaboration with critical stakeholders.
“I humbly solicit the support of your Institute in the execution of the various policy reforms of the Ministry which will better position it and its agencies to achieve the provision of security for all citizens. We also require your support in conceptualizing for the Federal Government the need for the full release of budgetary Appropriation on internal security matters especially at this critical time of national security emergency,” Aregbesola reiterated.
In his remarks, the leader of the delegation from the Senior Executive Course 43 of the National Institute, Dr. Emmanuel Sambo Mamman, mni said the visit by his team to the Ministry has further broaden their knowledge on the performance of the Ministry, adding that it will help the institute in policy formulation for the benefit of the country.
