Facts surrounding why the Chairman of Police Service Commission, PSC suddenly resigned his appointment are beginning to be more clearer as the core reason is over mandate dislocations with Nigerian Police Force.
TheNewsGuru.com, (TNG) recalls that last Tuesday, staff of the commission had stormed the National Assembly protesting the manner the Police Force in cohoot with the commission’s chairman, Musilliu Smith are frustrating the core mandate of the commission.
Hear the Union:
The protesters had stormed the national assembly in Abuja on Tuesday carrying placards of various inscriptions to draw the attention of relevant authorities to the plight of the commission and the need to put a stop to the practice where its core mandate of the Police Service Commission (PSC), which is recruitment, promotion and discipline of Police officers is been usurped by the Police and chairman.
The Chairman of the Nigerian Civil Service Commission, PSC Unit Comrade Adebayo Anthony said though the Union took the matter to both the high court and to the Appeal courts where it got a favourable judgement, despite that the police had continued to disregard the court judgements.
He said this was why the Union decided to bring the protest to the National Assembly for its intervention to give proper explaination to the functions of the Police Force and that of the Police Service Commission clearly.
The three core mandate according to the protesting staff are recruitment, promotion and discipline of the rank and file members to the Deputy Inspector General (DIP) position excluding the Inspector General of Police (IGP).
Comrade Adebayo said the establishment of the Police Service Commission is to oversight the Nigeria Police Force to ensure transparency and discipline in its operations.
Comrade Adebayo said before the Union decided to embark on this strike, it had had several dialogue with the management and have even given notice of strike for which the management promise to look into but after which they continued with the status-quo.
Latest development:
The PSC Board, at its meeting on Wednesday, asked Smith to resign and hand over to retired Justice Clara Ogunbiyi, who represents the judiciary at the commission.
Ogunbiyi will chair the commission in acting capacity until President Muhammadu Buhari appoints a substantive chairman.
Sources said the PSC Board, at its meeting on Wednesday, asked Smith to resign and hand over to retired Justice Clara Ogunbiyi, who represents the judiciary at the commission.
Ogunbiyi will chair the commission in acting capacity until President Muhammadu Buhari appoints a substantive chairman.
The spokesman of the commission, Ikechukwu Ani, confirmed the news that Musiliu Smith had decided to resign, but declined further comments on the matter.
A national newspaper had reported how activities of the commission had been paralysed since the last few weeks following the indefinite strike by the workers of the commission to press home their demands, including the alleged takeover of the recruitment of 10,000 constables by the police, staff promotion and training by the commission management.
The workers had also alleged mismanagement of funds meant for the permanent office of the commission.
Sources said the meeting also discussed the possibility of amending the PSC Act to remove a section which states that a retired Inspector-General of Police be appointed to chair the commission.
This mission is destroyed by appointing a recent or former Inspector-General as chairman of the PSC. After thorough deliberations on these issues, a commissioner advised Smith to step aside, after which another commissioner moved a motion and he accepted,’’ a source said of the intrigues that made Musiliu Smith resign as chairman of the commission.
Another source said immediately Musiliu Smith accepted to resign, other agenda of the meeting were suspended till the new management of the commission reconvenes.
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