PSC Staff Pull Out Of Agreement On Police Recruitment
By Trek Africa Newspaper
Staff of the Police Service Commission, (PSC) have pulled out of the agreement reached between the commission and the Nigeria Police Force over the recruitment of 10,000 police constable for 2022.
The staff, who declared a three-day warning strike starting Thursday after they forced the permanent secretary, William Alo and directors out of their offices, are protesting against giving their mandate to the police.
The staff embarked on the protest over the alleged takeover of ongoing recruitment of 10,000 constables by the force headquarters.
Earlier in the week, the workers had threatened to down tools if the management of the commission failed to take over the 2022 recruitment of constables from the police force which is handling the exercise.
The workers had prevented the commission’s chairman, Musiliu Smith, and other board members from holding their plenary on Tuesday.
Smith and the commissioners were stopped from entering the conference hall for the meeting as the workers insisted on holding an impromptu deliberation with the management team.
Addressing the PSC chairman and other board members, the chairman, Joint Union Congress, PSC chapter, Adoyi Adoyi, said the workers would embark on a three-day warning strike if the management failed to address the takeover of the constables’ recruitment by the police, conclude the promotion of staff and carry out the annual training of workers.
He accused the commission of surrendering its mandate to the force, adding that the union may be compelled to petition the President if the commission’s leadership failed to address their grievances.
Adoyi said, “We are disappointed that the commission has surrendered to the police its mandate which was affirmed by the court. The commission is suffering and posterity will judge the leadership if the PSC dies in your hands.
The Police Service Commission had revealed how it reached mutual understanding with the Nigeria Police to allow the stalled recruitment of 10,000 police constables across the country to proceed.
The chairman of the commission, Musiliu Smith, said the recruitment exercise recommenced after the truce was reached.
Smith said, “It is necessary to state that the ongoing completion of the suspended 2020 edition was a joint decision of the commission and that of the Nigeria police Force and it was meant to further fast track the injection of required personnel into the Force.
The PSC and the NPF had been at odds over whose constitutional responsibility it is to conduct recruitment of new officers into the force.
This battle resulted in multiple court cases, prompting Justice Inyang Ekwo of Court 5 of the Federal High Court to order suspension of the exercise on October 21, 2020.
Source: Leadership
