Commission promotes 4,542 police officers in two months

The Nigerian Police Service Commission (PSC) has promoted 4,542 Senior Police Officers in less than two months, even as the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Solomon Arase decorated four of the Assistant Inspectors General of Police (AIGs) affected in the exercise and commissioned the Force Finance House.

The affected officers include seven former Commissioners of Police (CPs) elevated to AIGs; six Deputy Commissioners of Police (DCPs) promoted to CPs and 20 Assistant Commissioners of police (ACPs) promoted to DCPs.

Others are eight Chief Superintendents (CSPs) elevated to ACPs, 107 Superintendents (SPs) now promoted to CSPs, 1,431 Deputy Superintendents of Police (DSPs) promoted to SPs, while 1,252 Assistant Superintendents of Police (ASPs) were promoted to DSPs and 1,711 Inspectors of Police got elevated to ASPs.

A statement confirming this from the PSC, signed by the Head Press and Public Relations Ikechukwu Ani said: “Out of this number, the Commission approved special promotion for 16 officers based on exceptional performance and dedication to duty on the recommendation of the Inspector General of Police.
Also two Officers were promoted on act of gallantry while 188 others were placed on acting appointment on their next rank”.

The Commission Chairman Mike Okiro said the promotions have all being commuted to the IGP for implementation, which led to the decoration of the four officers yesterday. The officers are, AIGs Tili Abubakar, Opadokun John, Ogunbayode David and Dorothy Gimba.

Arase reminded the officers of the high expectations of their new offices, saying “The position you are assuming today requires a lot of responsibility and you must stand up to all that is required of you”.

Also the IGP inaugurated a 35-suite Police Officers mess as part of his administration’s commitment to the welfare of the personnel.
He said he remains “very unapologetic about the welfare of police officers because as long as I am the Inspector-General of Police, the welfare of my men is my number one priority.”

Meanwhile at the commissioning of the Finance house would enable the Police enjoy self-accounting status like the other Armed Forces and other Para-military services.

According to Arase the move is part of the grand design to restructure the Nigeria Police Budget and Accounting System to key into the financial reforms in the public sector.

Arase said the whole idea is in tandem with the Self-accounting status granted the Police force in 2014, which makes the IGP the Chief Accounting Officer.
“In this regard therefore, the Police Management has upgraded the Office of the Commissioner of Police, (Budget) to Assistant Inspector-General of Police, (Police Accounts and Budget) .An organogram to meet this new structure has already been approved.”