Against the backdrop of the recent approval for self-accounting status for the Nigeria Police Force by the President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, has called for increased professionalism, transparency and prompt payment of salaries and emoluments of Police personnel.
The IGP, who made this call Friday at the Force Headquarters, Abuja, during a meeting with Police Finance Officers, described the approval as a watershed coming after more than eight decades since the Nigeria Police Force was established as a single and centralized national Police Force in 1930.
Mohammed stated that, as a step towards building the necessary infrastructure for a smooth operation of this new status, the Force will take every necessary measure towards ensuring that the Finance and Account units, at all levels of the Force, are staffed with officers with requisite accounting and professional background who will work with tested civilian finance officers in order to promote professionalism and guarantee effective service delivery. While calling on the finance officers to strictly adhere to financial regulations and other extant circulars, the IGP warned that appropriate sanctions await any officer who compromises their office.
The IGP expressed profound appreciation to the Accountant-General of the Federation for his roles in formalizing the self-accounting status of the Force and for the speedy deployment of two Directors in charge of Finance and Accounts and Audit to assist the Police in ensuring a seamless take off of the new status.
The one-day meeting which also had in attendance the Deputy Inspectors-General of Police, other senior Police Officers and members of the press, also witnessed lectures, symposia and other trainings on accounting best practices and the expectation of the Force from its accounting personnel.
