President Muhammadu Buhari has appointed the former Inspector General of Police (IGP) Solomon Arase as new Chairman of the Police Service Commission (PSC).
The President has already forwarded Arase’s name through a letter to the Senate for confirmation.
The letter was read on the floor of the Red Chamber by its President, Ahmad Lawan, the Senate acknowledged the appointment by Buhari as being in order and in accordance with the provision of section 154 (1) of the 1999 Constitution as amended.
The confirmation of Arase’s appointment will formerly end the tenure of current Chairman of the Commission, Musliu Smith.
The presentation of Arase’s name to the Senate is coming amid the lingering confrontation between the the IGP and the Commission on issues of enforcement of statutory powers and functions.
The Commission has accused the IGP of usurping its powers and undermining its extant relevance and independence, against the backdrop of redeployment/postings, retirement and discipline of police officers.
Yesterday, the PSC issued an order directing all police officers who are due for retirement to proceed immediately without further delay, reiterating that, “there is an institutional succession plan in the Nigeria Police Force.”
On Tuesday, while speaking on behalf of the Commission, its spokesperson, Ikechukwu Ani, reemphasized on the need and importance of protecting the Commission as a supervisory institution is important.
Referring to the retirement of some senior police officers, the Commission’s spokesperson maintained that there can never be any leadership vacuum in the force if anybody retires and that, the institutional succession structure in the force is intact.
Further more, the Commission affirmed that the statutory government executive body with the constitutional mandate to recruit, promote, dismiss and exercise disciplinary control over persons holding offices in the force, apart from the Inspector General of Police rests with it.
Ani said that the decision of the Commission directing all officers who have served out their time in the force to proceed on retirement was taken after an emergency meeting held by the management of the Commission.
He said also that tenure elongation for the IGP, Baba was not in the agenda but however, the need to resolve the conflict between the Commission and the Police Force is important.
“The Commission took a decision that it will not extend the tenures of the retiring senior police officers,” Ani said though he didn’t include in the statement the IGP, who will attain the retirement age of 60 years in March 2023.
According to the public service rule, there has been issues regarding the retirement of police officers who have attained retirement age of 60 years or after 35 years in service in the Force but the views from some quarters that considering forthcoming general elections, the retirement exercise might cause some security problems.
The Minister of Police Affairs, Mohammed Dingyadi, while interracting with journalist last week, said the appointment of Baba was based on a four-year tenure in line with provisions of the Police Act of 2020.
“I don’t know where you got your record, but by the provision of the Police Act 2020, the IGP is supposed to have a tenure of four years and Mr President has given him a letter of appointment in that regard,” Dingyadi had said.
The profile of the IGP, gives an insight of his age and years of service; he will be 60 years old on March 1, and on March 15, he would have reached his mandatory 35 years in the police service.
While it’s within the President’s powers to appointment and dismissal the IGP, other police officers are under the purview of the Commission.
“The Commission has watched with keen interest the conversation in the media on whether retiring senior police officers’ tenure should be elongated or not and whether such retirements would affect the 2023 election security.
“Rising from a Management Meeting on Monday, January 23, in Abuja, the Commission said the ongoing campaign for the extension of the tenures of some Deputy Inspectors General (DIGs), Assistant Inspectors General (AIGs), Commissioners, (CPs) and other senior Police Officers was an unnecessary distraction and an affront on all the existing laws in the country guiding entry and exit in the public service.
“The Commission took a decision that it will not extend the tenures of the retiring senior Police Officers, stressing that even when requested, it cannot do so as it is against all existing laws, Police Act, Police Service Commission Act and the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“It noted that the police have capable men and women who should be encouraged to step into the vacancies that would be created by the exiting officers. It assured Nigerians that there is an institutional succession plan in the Nigeria Police Force, especially with the current injection of 10,000 Constables and several other thousands of cadet ASPs from the Police Academy every year,” the PSC affirmed.
Baba is the current substantive and 21st Nigerian Inspector General of Police, appointed in April 2021 by President Muhammadu Buhari. Alkali Baba Usman CFR, was born 1 March 1963.
 Solomon Arase as new Chairman of the Police Service Commission (PSC).){kind=link}