Nigeria’s Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr. Ibrahim Idris, has declared that the Nigeria Police Force, NPF would need not less than N1.13trillion for its overhead cost annually as against N31.6billion earmarked for it in the 2017 budget for effective operations by the security outfit.
Mr. Idris, who spoke at a one-day public hearing on a bill seeking for establishment of Police Development Fund organized by the Senate joint committees on Police Affairs, and Judiciary, Legal Matters and Human Rights, in Abuja, said that N8 billion out of the N31.6billion proposed in last year’s budget had so far been released.
According to him, the N1.13trillion, is the current value of N506billion recommended for that effect in 2008 by the late M.D Yusuf-led Police Reform Committee.
He decried that the Police, based on yearly budgetary provisions made for it, was grossly underfunded in carrying out its fundamental duties of ensuring security, law and order across the federation.
Breaking down required overhead costs of the police, the IGP stated that out of the N19.9billion required to fuel 14,306 vehicles and 3,115 motorcycles on a yearly basis, only a billion naira can be set aside for that out of total amount released to the Force.
This, according to him, also affected the kitting of about 300,000 personnel of the Police, which should be N14.58billion but in 2017 budget, only N1.7billion was earmarked for that.
Consequently, the IGP supported the passing of the bill into law, saying “Police Trust Fund Bill will definitely serve as the needed solution to the problem of underfunding incapacitating the force”.
In his words: “There is close nexus between security and development and it is our belief that once the Police are adequately funded, the problem of insecurity in the country would be effectively tackled and once there is security, required development in the country would be achieved.”
