20th January, 2023
By Paul Iyoghojie
Police ranks and files serving in the Lagos Police formations have commended President Muhammadu Buhari for extending the tenure of the Inspector General of Police, IGP Usman Alkali Baba.
Some of the officers, who spoke with PM NEWS under strict conditions of anonymity because they are Civil servants and not authorized to speak with the press, stated that Baba deserved the tenure extension for doing a wonderful job in crime fighting and control and instilling discipline in the system within the short period he had served as Nigeria’s IGP.
They stated that within the short time, Baba stabilized the Nigeria Police Force and restored discipline, loyalty, hard work, sincerity, transparency and due process in the police operations.
They also said that during the same period, Baba also ensured seamless promotion of officers, training and retraining of officers to improve professionalism in the Force, adding that they were happy working with him and that he deserved the tenure extension by the President.
The outpouring of praises and commendations started on Wednesday shortly after the Minister of Police Affairs, Alhaji Mohammed Maigari Dingyadi broke the news of the approval of the President on the tenure extension for the IGP.
Dingyadi told newsmen while reacting to a question on whether or not the IGP would be retiring as expected since he would clock 60 years on 1 March, 2023, that the Inspector General of Police would not be retiring midway into the 2023 general elections.
Dingyadi stated that by the provisions of the Police act 2020, Usman supposed to have a kind of four years period and that the President had already given him a letter of appointment in that regard and that as such, the issue of the IGP going out during the elections period did not arise.
He also said the level of corruption within the Nigeria Police Force during the period had drastically reduced.