Laments poor police recruitment
The Oba of Lagos, Rilwanu Akiolu, has urged the new Inspector General of Police, Tunji Disu, to prioritise the welfare of policemen to help them give the best to the country.
Akiolu, who spoke yesterday when a delegation from the Police Service Commission visited his palace, lamented that youths in Lagos were not willing to join the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) in the ongoing recruitment exercise
The monarch maintained that as a retired police officer, the police job is one of the best anyone can do.
He noted that the immediate past IGP had done a lot and was optimistic that the new IGP would build on the successes of his predecessor.
He, however, said that majority of our youths are hardworking and brilliant but are not willing to join the police, yet, it is a good profession, saying that the behaviour of policemen is a reflection of the people they serve.
The monarch, therefore, enjoined policemen to be civil in their engagement with residents and pray to God that they retire well, including getting their retirement benefits and entitlements.
He further advocated the need to take care of policemen, stating that Nigeria is a blessed country and there is a lot of hope for it to be a shining light to the world.
He also urged policemen to be close to their God, be disciplined, hardworking, and tell people the truth and not what they want to hear.
Besides, he urged policemen to always seek knowledge to improve themselves so that they could do well and get better on the job.
Earlier, Chairman, Committee on Police Matters, Police Service Commission, DIG Taiwo Lakanu (rtd), who lead the delegation to the palace, said that the team was in the state to conduct screening exercise as part of ongoing efforts to recruit 50,000 constables into the Nigeria Police Force.
He, however, lamented that the interest showed in Lagos was very poor, noting that less than 1,500 applicants showed interest initially before a campaign was launched to mobilise more people to apply.
Lakanu nonetheless implored the traditional rulers to encourage more young residents of the state to apply for the police job.
He said that the PSC had commenced discussion on state police and that Lagos State is prepared and has the structures to kick-start the process in the state.
In this article