Unbundling Police Academy: Nigerians task Tinubu on wise spending

…Call for curriculum overhaul to reflect today’s realities

…Insist training must lead to behavioural change of personnel

As a sign that he was ready to hit the ground running, in August 2023, Kayode Egbetokun, the then acting inspector-general of police (IGP), insisted that Nigeria must recruit an additional 190,000 police officers to enable him secure the country adequately.

Egbetokun, who recently retired as Nigeria’s IGP, based his demand for more recruits on the police strength of just over 370,000 officers, which is insufficient based on a ratio of one officer to about 600 citizens for over 200 million population, as well as below the United Nations recommended ratio of one police officer to 450 citizens.

While the 190,000 target seems unrealistic, in 2024, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu approved the recruitment of 30,000 police officers annually for the next five years, amid a shortfall of 160,000 to meet the UN recommendation.

But the number of recruitments seems growing considering that 50,000 new Police Constables (General Duty and Specialists) are being targeted in a major recruitment drive for the 2025/2026 cycle by the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), in collaboration with the Police Service Commission (PSC).

Again, things are looking up for the force with President Tinubu’s recent approval for the establishment of a new campus of the Police Academy in Erinja, Yewa South Local Government Area in Ogun State, amid a special take-off grant of N15 billion for the college.

The development, according to the presidency, is for the expansion of the Police Academy in Wudil, Kano State, one of the 10 training schools, into multiple campuses across the country.

But while many Nigerians are excited about the development, considering the escalating insecurity in the country, some observers think otherwise.

They noted that having many training schools and multiple campuses is not a bad idea, but the quality of the finished products matters most.

“In my view, the training has little impact on our officers, from their looks, character and professionalism,” Abimbola Fadaka, a lawyer, said.

“It is only a few of the officers that guard politicians and VIPs that look dapper, many others look rough and mean. It is the physical look and smiles that should draw you to an officer and also encourage you to open up to them when in trouble”.

Fadaka, who doubles as a cybersecurity expert, argued that police training is not as inclusive as Army, Navy and other para-military outfits that carry themselves with a certain level of pride.

“I had wanted to join the Airforce or Immigration because of how well-dressed their officers look, but the quota issue prevailed. But can any young person join the police wholeheartedly if not for unemployment, or because of the money for the boys. I doubt,” he said.

Toeing the same lane, Magdalene Imasuen, a banker, thinks that many police officers she has come across in her 42 years have exhibited little impact from their training at police colleges.

“We, in the corporate world, especially human resources, have been blaming our universities for churning out half-baked graduates. But I don’t think many of our officers on the road passed through police college, considering their brashness, many are daft, easily insult or use force when unnecessary. Is their training not supposed to teach them gentility, fairness and to be law-abiding? But I hardly see the above among many of those guys out there on the road. They need real training for modern policing,” she said.

But Bem Hembafan, a retired senior security officer, noted that beyond the many colleges and huge funds expended on setting them up, the welfare of the officers matters most.

“Police barracks across the country are some of the worst places to stay. They are jam packed; they stink and lack infrastructure. The government should give priority to the welfare of the person being trained to boost his morale to wear the uniform with pride, do his job professionally and not to cut corners to put food on his table,” Hembafan said.
With N15 billion, he insisted that a few modern barracks can be built for the men and officers of the force.

“I am not saying that the government should not build more training colleges because we need to recruit and train more officers to boost security, especially now. But we have to intentionally encourage the officers in the system to give their best, it is not all about giving an officer a gun or a station or post to man. They should be happy and fulfilled doing that,” he said.

He also decried that the police have been losing more officers to the escalating insecurity across the country, with the families of the victims often being neglected.

“Our men sacrifice a lot out there. Sadly, the insurance covers are neither here nor there. Pension is a big issue too. You need to guarantee some critical things to make training worth it for the officers, else only a few will recall what the service ethos says,” he said.

From an academic background, Hassan Tanko, a university don, urged the government to ensure that the N15 billion it approved for the new police college is well-utilised, and also insisted on curriculum overhaul.

“Even in circular universities, there are courses that are no longer being offered because technology, time and change have overtaken them. So also, training for the police should change from the old format. Our police training facilities should embrace modern curriculum and learning aids that can boost our officers’ ability for modern policing and civil security. They need foreign exposures too,” he said.

Onyewuchi Akagbule, a senior lecturer at Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka, also thinks that the N15 billion will make sense if it is deployed into establishing the first modern police college in the country, away from the crude learning and approaches to policing, as well as churning out officers with different mindset for bribe, for offenders, and brutality.
“I always enjoy talking to police in my days as a student in the UK. They will always assist you, help you out of trouble rather than watch you get into it. Those officers abroad are not supercops, like Americans will say. It is all about quality training, good welfare and a system that rewards and punishes accordingly. Let us update the curriculum of the training colleges, hire qualified facilitators, and go for modern policing models to ensure that investments by the government yield good results,” he said.

Speaking further, Akagbule noted that like the many universities that are springing up every day, having many police training colleges will never be a bad idea as no investment in security is a loss, but the quality of the officers being churned out should concern the government that is releasing the huge funds, and the masses that daily impacted by the escalating insecurity in the country.

“Ye, we need more colleges to train and recruit more officers to deplete the gap in the United Nations recommended ratio of one police officer to 450 citizens.

“But every police recruit should be able to serve that security purpose. We should not recruit for recruitment’s sake or train for training’s sake because huge funds go into it, insecurity is escalating and human lives are involved,” he concluded.

For Hembafan, whatever that can be done to address the escalating insecurity across the country is welcomed, even having police colleges in every local government area, but the welfare of the officers must be given attention also to ensure better results.