…Says talks ongoing to settle all vexatious issues for win-win situation

By Kingsley Omonobi

The Chairman of the Police Service Commission, Dr. Solomon Arase (IGP Rtd) has assured the staff that serious talks and efforts have already began with the Nigerian Police Force towards an amicable resolution and settlement of “all vexatious issues in a win-win situation for all”.

Arase made this known in his first official town hall Meeting with the Staff of the Commission noting that he is in the Commission for service to God and humanity.

He said that with the support, understanding and patience of the staff, ” it will be ‘uhuru’ for us very soon ” adding that better days “are indeed ahead”.

In the state of affairs address to the staff over the weekend he said, “Just know that I share in your pains. Your financial complaints are cogent and I promise to always do what I can to lessen these pains”

He said he does not believe that the Commission’s relationship with the Police must be fractious to show the world “that we are alive to our duties”.

His words, “I neither work in toxic environment nor subscribe to confrontation and belligerence as a leadership approach  to getting results.

“For me, the ultimate is achieving our goals and delivering on our mandate  and I believe there are better ways of resolving  conflicts without resorting to actions that will embarrass the government and paint both institutions in bad light”.

The PSC Chairman assured the Staff that serious talks and efforts have already began towards an amicable  resolution and settlement of “all vexatious issues in a win-win situation for all”.

He declared that as much as “I do not believe that the powers of the Commission should be subsumed by the NPF (of course it cannot happen under my watch), the truth however remains, we cannot succeed and deliver on our mandate as an agency if we are working at cross purposes with the agency we are over-sighting”

Dr. Arase therefore implored the staff to show restraint and eschew every form of preconceptions, misconceptions and prejudices against the NPF for de-escalation of the conflict and restoration of trust and friendliness between the two agencies “

He assured the Staff that he is totally  concerned not only to their wealth but also health hence the reason a sick bay is already established.

He noted that he was not oblivious of the fact that he inherited a lot of liabilities of the Commission in terms of “allowances owed to personnel for different duties performed; ranging from election duties, duty tour allowances to first twenty-eight days; it has always  been my belief that workers deserve their wages and there is dignity in labour” 

“No wonder, in various leadership positions I have held in life, I always classify the welfare and comfort  of people working with me as a top priority”, he said.

“I did not waste time in deploying my contacts and reach at ensuring that these allowances are extinguished in no distant time. Although no funds have been released to this effect as at today, I am hopeful that in no distant time, we will receive positive response”

Dr Arase appealed for patience as according him, “I am also losing sleep over the liabilities, and I will not rest on my oars until the liabilities are totally defrayed”.

Speaking on repositioning the Commission for optimal functionality in delivering on its mandate, the PSC Chairman said he fully understood that the staff must be regularly trained and re-trained on the rudiments of oversight functions. 

“On this note, I reached out and held meetings with UN agencies, Embassies, Civil Society Organisations and other government organisations requesting  for training assistance and collaborative support towards capacity building of the staff of the Commission.

 “A few progress  has been made as some Directors were trained virtually in University of Pretoria, South Africa on oversight Course. Some others will be going to NIPPS, Jos and Lagos within this month for different  courses”.

Dr. Arase also spoke on a National workshop  to re-launch the Commission to the world and emphasise “our presence as a critical agency of Government in Nigeria’s security  architecture. 

He added that the newly established  Compliance Monitoring Unit (CMU) “of which some staff of the Commission  are already undergoing training on the management of the technical platform, will be launched” after which a management retreat with Police leadership will hold followed by Zonal retreats and other forms of engagements with stakeholders aimed at sensitizing the populace about the Commission’s existence and responsibilities.

He announced that  the ‘Town Hall Meeting’ will be regular and held quarterly to bridge any form of communication gap in the administration of the Commission.