BREAKING; Federal Government Seeks Amendment Of Police Trust Fund Act
President Buhari
Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has stated that in order for Nigeria to overcome some of the challenges militating against the optimal provision of internal security, his ministry has resolved to seek an amendment of the Police Trust Fund Act to encompass other internal security agencies in the country.
Trek Africa Newspaper gathered that the Minister made the disclosure on Friday in Abuja when he received participants of the Senior Executive Course 43 of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPPS), Kuru, near Jos.
The Minister explained that the Police Trust Fund Act holds so many potentials in resolving most of the security challenges in Nigeria.
He said, “the objective of the Act which was recently signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari came into force on the 24th of June, 2019 and was to provide a legal framework for the Management and control of a special intervention fund for training and retraining of personnel of the Nigeria Police Force and also for the provision of state-of-the-art security equipment and other related facilities for the enhancement of skills of personnel of the Nigeria Police Force.”
“It would be an overkill for the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS), the Federal Fire Service (FFS) and Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) which are key actors in providing internal security, to create separate Trust Funds of their own to be able to effectively achieve the Ministry’s mandate.”
“We would be presenting a memo on this to the Federal Executive Council (FEC). The objective is to make available other sources of funding to the paramilitary agencies under the Ministry to meet their needs beyond the limited allocation in the Appropriation Bill.”
He further said, “This will no doubt enhance internal security, public safety and citizenship integrity driven by innovation, people, technology and systems, in addition to robust collaboration with critical stakeholders.”
“I humbly solicit the support of your Institute in the execution of the various policy reforms of the Ministry which will better position it and its agencies to achieve the provision of security for all citizens. We also require your support in conceptualizing for the Federal Government the need for the full release of budgetary appropriation on internal security matters, especially at this critical time of national security emergency.”
