2ND JUNE, 2022
I am delighted to be here on this auspicious occasion, marking the launch of a revolutionary project envisioned by the Nigeria Police Force to institutionalize transparency, accountability and entrench quality service delivery for enhanced internal security in Nigeria.
2. When I assumed office in 2019, I was briefed on the initiative of the Nigeria Police Force to streamline provision of specialized services, to make the process more transparent and accountable while evolving revenue models to complement its budgetary allocation and contribute to the Nation’s fiscal endowment.
3. The far reaching prospects and alignment of this initiative with President Muhammadu Buhari administration’s key priority of enhanced security, fight against corruption and economic development underpins my adoption of this initiative. I took over the process of its actualization by presenting it for Federal Executive Council’s (FEC) approval, through a memorandum, which was approved by FEC on July, 2021.
4. Hitherto, the Nigeria Police has provided specialized services such as requests for Police Character Certificate, Police Extract, Specialized Escort and Guard Services, etc. However, the current manual mode of processing the delivery of these services is devoid of the basic tenets of accountability and transparency. For these reasons, the need to automate the processes became imperative.
5. Following the Federal Executive Council’s approval of the automation of Police Specialized Services, I received the POSSAP Joint Implementation Committee’s Report from the Inspector-General of Police. Consequently, I set up two bodies namely, the Ministerial Project Steering Committee and Project Delivery Committee with the mandate of ensuring the successful take-off of this initiative in line with the Federal Government’s approval. Today, I am pleased to state that all efforts put in by the Inspector-General of Police, Project Concessionaire and the various Committees, have delivered accordingly.
6. POSSAP is not just a project of the Nigeria Police but a mechanism put in place for the realization of Federal Government’s policy on its Strategic Revenue Growth Initiative (SRGI). It is also a strategic initiative for the reformation of the Police for improved internal security through its integration with existing national identity data repositories and enhanced welfare of its officers and men while repositioning the image and perception of the Force.
7. Today marks a turning point in the history of the Force, not only has the Force embarked on a revolutionary journey in the delivery of Specialized Services but has also joined the league of Police Institutions globally that have adopted technology as a critical tool for improved service delivery. The image and perception of the Force would no longer be described by the individual actions of a few bad eggs but the collective mechanism for prompt delivery of specialized services as encapsulated in the POSSAP project. I am glad to inform officers and men of the Force that the recent approval by Federal Government on the new salary structure for the police was largely predicated on the complimentary revenues to be derived from the POSSAP project.
8. Let me at this juncture admonish personnel of the Nigeria Police Force to make use of POSSAP platform, in compliance with the stipulations in all documentations relating thereto e.g. Force Order 471, POSSAP Standard Operating Procedure, POSSAP service Level Agreement, e.t.c., as appropriate sanctions will be meted out to officers who contravene the directives of the Federal Government on POSSAP.
9. In conclusion, may I also seize this opportunity to call on members of the public who are already utilizing Police Specialized Services to cooperate with us in the implementation of this project and to see the introduction of this automated platform as means of improving on Police services delivery for its overall benefits. It should be noted that engaging Police Specialized Service outside the POSSAP Platform will attract appropriate sanctions, against those involved in the act.
10. I thank you for your kind attention.
