Welcome address by Inspector General of Police, IGP Usman Alkali Baba, psc (+), NPM, fdc at the opening ceremony of the conference and retreat for senior Police officers held at Ibom Icon Hotel & Golf Resort, Uyo, Akwa-Ibom State, 8th February, 2022
I most heartily welcome Your Excellencies, strategic security stakeholders, and other dignitaries to this all-important Conference and Retreat for senior officers of the Nigeria Police Force.
The Annual Nigeria Police Conference and Retreat is a unique event for the Force. This is because it is a forum that attracts the largest gathering and broadest representation of senior Police Officers with participants drawn from the Force Headquarters, Formations, Zonal Headquarters and State Command level across the thirty-six (36) States of the Federation and the FCT. By the rich array of participants and their broad and diverse experiences, this event is the richest and most rewarding professional engagement of the Nigeria Police Force.
The 2022 edition is the second in the series and it is a follow-up to the 1st edition which was hosted by the Lagos State Government in 2019. The programme could not hold in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The idea of the Retreat and Conference for strategic police managers was borne out of our leadership focus which emphasizes capacity building as a pathway to re-invigorating our strategic leadership capacity towards the enhancement of optimal police service delivery.
Gathered here today for this 2-day event in the beautiful, friendly, and peaceful city of Uyo are officers occupying strategic leadership positions in the Nigeria Police Force. This comprises of all Commissioners of Police, Assistant Inspectors General of Police, and Deputy Inspectors General of Police. Our purpose for this event is threefold.
Firstly, in line with the theme of the event which is ‘The New Police Vision – A road Map for Stabilizing Internal Security’, we intend to utilize this forum to review our policing vision, mission and strategies as laid out following my appointment as the 21st indigenous Inspector General of Police as well to assess the Police reform initiatives of the Federal Government and the Force leadership. This is with a view to aligning them to our current and evolving policing and internal security realities.
Secondly, we hope to undertake a holistic assessment of the current internal security threats and crime dynamics in the country, identify factors engendering crimes, re-evaluate our strategies, identify operational gaps and evolve new pathways or strengthen existing strategies towards meeting our sacred obligations to the citizens of this country.
Thirdly, this Retreat and Conference will avail participating Police Officers of the opportunity to draw on the expertise of seasoned facilitators and the rich professional knowledge of the array of police officers here gathered to broaden and strengthen their critical thinking and strategic leadership ability. It is also our expectation that we shall leverage on the network to be established at the event to enhance professional peer-review towards engendering a broader understanding of our mandate and strengthen our administrative and operational capacity.
Permit me to at this stage briefly reflect on the Theme of the Conference which, as earlier highlighted, is ‘The New Policing Vision – A Road Map for Stabilizing Internal Security’. Since the Theme is woven around the ‘New Policing Vision’, the natural question that follows is ‘What really is this New Vision’?
To respond to this poser, it must first be acknowledged that any organization that lacks a vision, has no purpose to justify its existence. Secondly, any organization that projects a Vision but lacks strategic ways to advance the Vision, is bound for failure. Thirdly, and most significantly, any organization that has a Vision and pathways to achieving it but lacks the quality manpower base to advance the process of translating the Vision to measurable outcomes is also bound to lose its legitimacy.
In cognizance of this reality, upon my assumption of the leadership of the Force, I undertook a comprehensive evaluation of our mandate, pattern and trend of crime, capabilities and gaps, expectations of the citizens and the Federal Government, our potentials, and existing strategies. The outcome of this exercise convinced me of the need to commence a Police reform initiative that will be driven by a new policing theme, mission, vision, and strategies.
Hence, I redefined our Policing Theme as to ‘Protect with Courage and Serve with Compassion’ while our new leadership Vision is ‘to restore police primacy in the internal security architecture of Nigeria and deliver to the nation a modernised, citizen-led, rule of law-guided, and professional Police Force that Nigerians can truly trust and depend on to achieve the Policing Mandate enshrined in Sections 4 and 5 of the Nigeria Police Act, 2020’.
To achieve the above Vision, we are focusing on the following Missions:
1. Integration of cutting-edge technology and intelligence-led policing model to our operational and investigation functions with a view to strengthening our capacity to stabilise the internal security order, discourage pre-trial detention, and restore public confidence in the Force;
2. Give full effect to the concept of citizens-led policing by deepening the implementation of community policing strategy, addressing ethical and professional issues that impact on trust and partnership between the Police and the public and embrace the social content of policing in which police officers see themselves as compassionate servants of the citizens.
3. Take the lead in strengthening inter-agency collaboration as a strategic pathway towards the attainment of our internal security Mandate.
We are also pursuing a Mission attainment Strategy that is built on the fundamentals of:
Ethical Regeneration, Restoration of Professional Standard and Enhancement of the Anti-Corruption Drive
Human Rights-Driven Policing
Adoption of Intelligence-Guided and Citizens-Led Policing Models as the Strategic Approach to the Management of Current Internal Security Threats
Training and Strategic Human Capacity Development
Enhancement of In-Service and Post-Service Personnel Welfare
Engagement and Application of Cutting-Edge Technology and International Best Practices to Policing Functions at All Levels
I am delighted to note that through these latest leadership initiatives, a new focus and orientation are being entrenched into the mindsets of officers of the Force and, slowly but steadily, we are marching towards restoring the lost primacy of the Nigeria Police while also stabilizing the internal security space. It is my expectation, though, that this Conference and Retreat will further engage these issues in the most professional and critical manner, all with the intent to attain an outcome that will enrich the process of achieving our ‘New Policing Vision’ and positively alter the policing narratives of Nigeria.
In so doing, I wish to charge all participants to take advantage of this unique opportunity to enrich their knowledge and command and control ability which will be deployed in due course to the attainment of our election security mandate as we approach the general election season.
Let me re-emphasise that the countdown to the general elections will present new sets of security challenges which will undoubtedly further task our professionalism. We must, as strategic police managers on whose shoulders the task of ensuring a peaceful electoral process rest, be adequately prepared. It is my additional expectation that this Conference and Retreat will serve as a forum to also engage issues relating to our roles in the electioneering process.
May I also seize this opportunity to re-assure the entire citizens of this great country of our firm determination and clear vision to evolve a new Police Force for the nation. We shall continue to explore all available strategies in guaranteeing their security and safety. This is our Mandate. It is, therefore, our obligation to attain it. We, however, solicit the continued support of the citizens in the process.
On this note, I wish to thank Mr. President, as ably represented by the Honourable Minister of Police Affairs, Alhaji Mohammed Maigari Dingyadi, for the consistent support being extended to the Force leadership and the unwavering commitment to the reform of the Nigeria Police Force.
I also immensely appreciate His Excellency, Governor Udom Emmanuel, the amiable Executive Governor of Akwa Ibom State for hosting this program. Your Excellency, you have by this gesture, once again deepened your profile as one of the most law enforcement-friendly Executive Governor in the country and the Nigeria Police deeply appreciate the goodwill.
I most sincerely thank all our other esteemed guests for gracing this opening ceremony and pray that Almighty Allah (SWT) grants you all journey mercy back to your respective destinations. I thank you all for your attention and look forward to a professionally rewarding Conference and Retreat.
More photos below.
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