By Seyi Babalola
Senator Ibrahim Gaidam, Minister of Police Affairs, has formed a 24-member committee led by the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Dr. Nasir Sani-Gwarzo, to examine the Nigeria Police Trust Fund, NPTF Act, 2019, and find areas for improvement.
Gaidam, who inaugurated the committee in Abuja on Tuesday, stated that “it is on record that the Nigeria Police Trust Fund has established its presence through numerous interventions in the police ecosystem that have impacted the policing sector in Nigeria.”
According to a statement issued by the ministry’s Deputy Director of Information and Public Relations, Bolaji Kazeem, the Permanent Secretary launched the committee on the minister’s behalf.
Gaidam disclosed that there were so many areas since the inception of the agency that needed review to forestall problematic issues, especially the issue of forming a quorum for the Board of Trustees, the function of the board, and management of the agency, contractual agreement by the board, limitation of the power of the board, as well as the source of funding for the agency.
“I want you to go through the Act and bring out action points on those related areas that require change and justification for the continuity beyond the six years period; formula required for fund mobilization and I would like Nigeria Police Force to critically look at the issue and advise the committee.
“Give us the pros and cons of things that have happened around the world that have opened our eyes to the quality of policing around the world and what we can imbibe from other stakeholders, development partners, and others. You are not limited by anything to seek advice from many sources,” the minister stressed.
The committee members, according to the statement, were drawn from the Ministry of Police Affairs, Nigeria Police Trust Fund, Nigeria Police Force, and Ministry of Justice, and were given two weeks to submit their report to the management of the ministry.
