Vice President Yemi Osinbajo while representing President Muhammadu Buhari at the NDDC-donated Police Barracks commissioning in Rivers State, said that the Federal Government is commissioning part of their efforts to improve livelihood of officers, peace, prosperity and development of Niger Delta.
Buhari urged NDDC to execute projects that will benefit the people of Niger Delta.
In line with ongoing reforms of the Police and efforts towards improving the nation’s security architecture, President Muhammadu Buhari restated his administration’s commitment to provide various platforms for all the security agencies in the fight against terrorism, banditry, and all forms of criminality.
VP Osinbajo while delivering the remarks on the President’s behalf, stated this on Tuesday at the official commissioning ceremony of the Special Protection Unit (SPU) Base 6 barracks of the Nigerian Police, at Omagwa, in Rivers State.
The President added that the event is part of the Administration’ efforts to improve the lives and livelihoods of our police officers, and also improve peace and security efforts in the Niger Delta region.
Speaking on behalf of the President, Prof. Osinbajo said that, “today’s event meets two objectives. First, it is an important part of our efforts to improve the lives and livelihoods of our police officers and it is also another important milestone in my administration’s pursuit of the peace, prosperity and development of the Niger Delta.
“We recognize that establishing adequate security is absolutely integral to the fulfillment of this objective which is why we have committed significant resources to projects such as we are about to commission.”
Highlighting the Administration ongoing Police reforms, the President noted that the Police Force was a crucial component of the country’s law enforcement architecture.
He said, “they are the civil force, the closest to the people in the various communities. In the past months we have been undertaking a major reform of the Police.
“First we believe that we must increase the number of police personnel. So, we have set yearly recruitment targets. We also are in the process of re-equipping our personnel, both in personal gear and hardware. An important feature of the reform is accommodation for men and officers.
“I have directed that the building of barracks for men should be done in collaboration with the social housing effort of the Family Homes Fund. This will ensure speed in execution.
“Funding of the police force remains a huge challenge. Which is why we worked with the National Assembly to enact the Police Trust Fund Act. We are also looking at other measures to improve funding for the Police.”
According to the President, “This project is important because it is a means by which we can alleviate the accommodation challenges of senior security personnel posted to Rivers State and ultimately enhance the security footprint in the region.
“The cumulative impact of this and other similar projects will be the improvement of security in the state and the consolidation of the economic and social life of the people of the area.”
Thanking Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State for his warm and generous hospitality, the Vice President also commended the Honourable Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, “for providing leadership and resilience amidst mounting challenges” as well as the Minister of Police Affairs and the Inspector General of Police “for their hard work and dedication to the enormous task of repositioning the Police.”
On behalf of the President, the VP commended the NDDC, while urging the Commission to execute more projects that will benefit the people of the Niger Delta.
“The Federal Government has invested significantly in the NDDC and we recognize that this outlay of resources must be justified with verifiable projects that will improve the living standards of the people in the region,” he noted.
The President added that the edifice should be properly employed for the benefit of the entire people of Nigeria.
The Special Protection Unit Base 6 barracks, which was built and donated by the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to the Nigeria Police Force, consists of 66 units of accommodation for officers of the Special Protection Unit (SPU).
It also comprises a five-bedroom commander’s quarters, functional office accommodation, a sentry post, guardroom with armoury and a parade ground of the Nigerian Police Force.
Accompanying the Vice President to the event were the Ministers of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, and (Minister of State) Tayo Alasoadura; and the Minister of Police Affairs, Muhammad Maigari Dingyadi.
There were other senior Federal and State Government officials, including the Interim Administrator of the NDDC, Mr Effiong Akwa; Special Adviser to the President on Political Affairs, Senator Babafemi Ojudu; and the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Ita Enang; among others.
