N-power beneficiaries not fit for Community Policing – Leadership Editor

ByIsrael Wellington Jeremiah

According to an article published by the  Leadership Newspaper. They believed that the current precarious security situation in the country, despite concerted government efforts is worrisome. Equally disturbing is the approach towards finding a solution to it. Experts are expressing their concern that some of the measures being put in place may lead to a deeper crisis in the future if not decisively challenged and addressed now.

In an assessment of the procedures, they refer to the recruitment process into the security agencies especially the police. Where the Government and the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) recently announced a proposal to recruit National Youth Service Corps members and the beneficiaries of N-Power Programme to beef up the manpower needs of the Nigeria Police Force. The corps members and N-Power participants are to make up for the inadequacies in the ongoing recruitment of 10,000 additional hands by the Force.

While the Newspaper commend the federal government for its efforts to increase the number of police personnel, they don’t believe that N- power beneficiaries should be compelled to join the police force. According to them,N-power beneficiaries are certainly not the first option. In their opinion, the choice to join the police or any other security outfit should be a personal decision made out of conviction and passion.

It is of their opinion that the country must not draft N- Power beneficiaries wholesale into the police force.They appreciate the fact that the N-Power programme, especially its graduates component, was meant to be a stop gap measure whereby participants would serve for two years within which period they were expected to find a more permanent employment, exit and pave the way for others. Their conversion to other areas of need, talk less of the police, was not part of the plan.

In view of the foregoing, They call on the federal government to discard the idea of enlisting N- power participants into the police force as they believe it will be counterproductive in the long run. The proposal as it presently stands is tantamount to conscription.They insist that only candidates who are motivated to join the police force should be given the opportunity through a transparent process. It is also imperative that a thorough background check be done on all the prospective candidates as this will go a long way to having a police force every Nigerian will be proud of. In their own view, any recruitment or employment opportunities should be thrown open for all eligible citizens to compete for. That way, the best brains are likely to emerge to serve the very purpose of their selection.

Source: https://empowermentopportunities.com