‘Your comment in bad taste,’ PSC workers fault police’s stand on constables recruitment
The Joint Union Congress of the Police Service Commission has described the allegations by the Nigeria Police Force over the recruitment exercise as diversionary.
The union noted that despite the commission’s powers to recruit for the police were derived from the constitution and has been affirmed by a Supreme Court judgment, the police would not allow the commission to perform its duties.
The police had earlier in a statement by the force spokesperson, Muyiwa Adejobi, rejected the names of those recruited by the commission.
Adejobi added that the PSC portal was scrutinised and it was discovered that “several names of persons purported to be names of successful candidates are those who did not even apply and therefore did not take part in the recruitment exercise.”
However, reacting to the allegations, the union chairman, Adoyi Adoyi, said the commission was worried that the police become confrontational during recruitment exercises, saying that this “suggests obvious hidden interests and corrupt tendencies.”
The statement read, “The attention of the Joint Union of the Staff of the Police Service Commission has been drawn to a press release dated June 15, 2024, and signed by the FPRO, on behalf of the Inspector General of Police.
“The said press statement is not only in a bad tate but diversionary. It is sad to note that despite the unambiguity in the powers of the PSC as spelt out by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the subsequent interpretation of such powers by the Supreme Court, the Nigeria Police Force will still not allow the commission exercise its constitutional powers to appoint persons into the Nigeria Police Force.
“This clandestine scheme by the Inspector General of Police to usurp such powers is an affront to both the Nigerian Constitution and the judgment of the Supreme Court. The commission is at a loss as to why it is only during recruitment exercises that police confrontation manifests, suggesting obvious hidden interests and corrupt tendencies.”
Adoyi said the PSC constituted a board that had representatives from virtually all the stakeholders in the police sector such as the commission, the police, the Ministry of Police Affairs, the Federal Character Commission, the Police Colleges and the Police Trust Fund.
“It is worthy of note that after the commission got a judgment from the Supreme Court on the 11th of July, 2023 re-affirming its powers, the commission, to ensure inclusiveness, constituted a recruitment board comprising of a Commissioner from the Police Service as Chairman, Deputy Inspector-General of Police, Development and Training Department as Co-Chairman/Deputy Chairman, CP Hassan Yabanet representing Police Training Colleges, Deputy Commissioner of Police Olabode Akinbamilowo as Secretary to the Board amongst others, ” the statement stated.
He described the police’s claim that the recruitment board was not allowed to perform its duties as false.
He said, “The claim that the Recruitment Board was crippled and was not allowed to function, was no doubt a fallacy as the Board severally met before the release of the list of successful candidates. ”
Adoyi added that the board which had the police DIG Training, Frank Mba, in attendance, met and endorsed the list rejected by the police.
“The same Board met and endorsed the list that was released on the 4th of June, 2024 at their usual meeting point, PSC Corporate Headquarters, with the DIG Training, Mr Frank Mba, and other police representatives in attendance,” the statement said.
He alleged that the police had shortlisted candidates who were unknown to the board and PSC.
He claimed that the police submitted the list to the commission and wanted to force it on the board, adding that the plan did not materialise.
Adoyi said, “Meanwhile, it is also worthy of note that the police had shortlisted and concluded the exercise without the knowledge of the Board and PSC. They had the effrontery to submit the list to the Commission. They wanted a meeting of the Board where they had planned to force the list on the Board but unfortunately, their plans collapsed.”
Adoyi recalled how the then IG hijacked the recruitment exercise and sneaked in the names of people who didn’t apply for the job.
“For example, this takes us back to 2019 when the then IGP hijacked the list of candidates for the smooth ongoing recruitment exercise from the Commission in the guise of having the list to prepare the training colleges for training purposes and ended up smuggling hundreds of names of persons who neither applied nor participated in the screening process.
“A study case is Nasarawa State with 13 Local Government Areas that are supposed to have had 253 successful candidates but ended up having 528 after the NPF had sneaked 275 candidates in excess. That culminated in the Commission instituting legal action against the NPF over our mandate, ” the statement added.
He, however, called for a forensic audit of the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board’s Computer-Based Test results to compare them with the list released by the commission and verify its authenticity.
He said, “The commission demands a forensic audit of the Joint And Matriculation Board Computer Based Test results and compare it with the list released by the Commission. We insist that the list of successful candidates as released by the Commission is open to anybody or Organization for forensic examination to establish its authenticity.
“The commission will not at any time involve itself in any untoward activities in the process of recruiting qualified Nigerians into the Nigeria Police Force.”
He also said the police and any other interested bodies are” free to investigate any act of financial dealings and corrupt practices as alleged by the Force Public Relations Officer.”
