The Civil Society Network Against Corruption (CSNAC) has written a letter to President Muhammadu Buhari stating that the current makeup of the Police Service Commission (PSC) violates the Police Service Commission (Establishment) Act 2011 which requires that the PSC have at least 7 sitting members.
The Civil Society Network Against Corruption (CSNAC) has written a letter to President Muhammadu Buhari stating that the current makeup of the Police Service Commission (PSC) violates the Police Service Commission (Establishment) Act 2011 which requires that the PSC have at least 7 sitting members.
The CSNAC petition to President Buhari, written by the coalition’s Chairman Olanrewaju Suraju, claims that it is the responsibility of President Buhari to appoint substantive and qualified people to the PSC. CSNAC urged Mr. Buhari to correct this anomaly noting that the current makeup of the PSC has only 6 members.
Section 153 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and the PSC Act 2001 states that the PSC has the responsibility to appoint persons to offices and exercise disciplinary control over any person holding office in the Nigeria Police Force, with the exception of the Inspector-General of the Police.
CSNAC’s petition noted that there were two vacancies in the PSC which had yet to be filled.
The first vacancy was the position of the representative of non-governmental organizations (NGOs). This position has been vacant since 2013, after former President Goodluck Jonathan’s nominee for the position, Dr. Otive Igbuzor, was rejected by the Senate.
The position of a permanent secretary is also vacant according to CSNAC. The last permanent secretary of the commission, Aminu Bisalla, was moved to the Ministry of Trade and Investment by President Buhari in November 2015.
In their letter to President Buhari, CSNAC urged him to correct this situation as the PSC possesses enormous power over the dismissal, appointment, and promotion of officers in the Nigeria Police Force.
“Since the Police Service Commission has enormous powers on the promotion, promotion, discipline, and dismissal of officers of the Nigeria Police Force, we urge Mr. President to immediately correct the anomaly in the PSC by appointing substantive and qualified people into the vacancies created,” the letter read in part.
The letter added that if action is not taken any appointment, dismissal, or promotion of police officers by the PSC could be legally nullified as the commission is currently violating the PSC (Establishment) Act 2001.