Minister slams presidential panel on police reforms

Minister of Police Affairs, Navy Capt. Caleb Olubolade (retd.), on Wednesday criticised severely the Parry Osayande-led Presidential Committee on the Reorganisation of the Nigeria Police for advocating the scrapping of his ministry.

Olubolade said the committee derailed by going beyond its assignment. Part of the committee’s recommendations is that the Ministry of Police Affairs, currently under the watch of Olubolade, be scraped.

In an interview with State House correspondents shortly after the weekly Federal Executive Council meeting, the police affairs minister said the assignment given to the committee by President Goodluck Jonathan was to look at how the police could be reorganised to meet modern challenges, adding that anything outside that terms of reference amounted to derailment.

He said, “Mr. President set up a committee led by Parry Osayande to reorganise the police. That committee should not be misconstrued or should not be confused with the earlier committee set up by the President to reorganise the ministries and restructure ministries and parastatals.

“What happened yesterday (Tuesday) was that this committee headed by Parry Osayande submitted its report to the President. Incidentally, in the same vein, the retired Inspectors-General of Police paid a visit to the President.

“Somehow it got into the limelight that this issue of scrapping the Ministry of Police Affairs became an issue. But the assignment given to that panel was to look at how the police can be professionalised and reorganised.

“Usually, when an assignment like this is given, one must look at the subject. The subject is to reorganise the police and any issue discussed outside that can be termed to be a derail.”

The minister also frowned on Osayande’s disclosure of the content of his committee’s report when the government had not taken a decision on the recommendations. He said such was capable of misleading the public.

PUNCH