FG to seek amendment of Police Trust Fund Act

Etim Effiong

The Federal Government is seeking amendment to Police Trust Fund Act to enable Nigeria to overcome the challenges working against the provision of internal security, Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola has said.

Aregbesola said this 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.

He stated that the Police Trust Fund Act holds so many potentials in overcoming most of the security challenges in Nigeria.

“The objective of the Act which was recently signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari came into force on June 24, 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.

“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,” the minister said.