The President Bola Tinubu-led Federal Government has commenced moves to modernise Nigeria’s police training institutions as part of efforts to build a 21st-century police force equipped with modern skills and technology.
This was disclosed during the week by Enugu State Governor Peter Mbah, who chairs the National Economic Council Committee on the overhaul of police and security training institutions, during the inspection of the Police Training College, Ikeja, Lagos.
The visit is part of a nationwide assessment of security training facilities.
Mbah said the exercise followed President Bola Tinubu’s October 23 directive to the NEC to submit, within one month, a blueprint for the renovation of all police and security training schools. Tinubu, at the 152nd NEC meeting, had expressed concern over the poor state of such facilities nationwide.
According to Mbah, modern policing requires contemporary tools and methods, and training must reflect the realities of Artificial Intelligence, robotics and other advanced technologies.
“We cannot use 20th-century systems to train a 21st-century police force,” he said. “They need evolving skills, including Artificial Intelligence, robotics, mechatronics and digital tools. What we are doing is a comprehensive revamp.”
He noted that Tinubu considered the initiative urgent, adding that the goal was to restore professionalism and confidence within the nation’s security services.
“In the words of Mr President, you cannot expect men and women who protect our communities to be trained in an inhumane environment. That is unacceptable,” he said.
Mbah dismissed claims that the move was in response to recent international commentary on Nigeria’s security environment, insisting that the plan predates such discussions.
He said the committee, which has 30 days to submit its report, had split into two teams for simultaneous assessment of facilities. The northern team is led by Nasarawa State Governor Abdullahi Sule, while Mbah’s team is assessing facilities in the South alongside consultants conducting detailed technical evaluations.
Other members of the committee include Governors Uba Sani (Kaduna), Dapo Abiodun (Ogun), Kefas Agbu (Taraba), Umoh Eno (Akwa Ibom), Dauda Lawal (Zamfara) and Abdullahi Sule (Nasarawa), with former Inspector-General of Police Baba Usman as secretary.
Mbah added that the project aligns with the planned recruitment of 30,000 new police personnel, noting that existing facilities are inadequate to support such expansion.
“This is an emergency, and we are treating it with the seriousness it deserves,” he said.
Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun, who accompanied Mbah on the tour, said the task before the committee was urgent and would receive swift attention.
Earlier, the Commandant of the Ikeja college, AIG Omolara Oloruntola, lamented the institution’s decades-long infrastructure decay. She commended the planned intervention, expressing hope that it would restore standards at the college.
Credit: punchng.com
