Police Council has approved and confirmed the appointment of the Acting Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Mr Kayode Egbetokun, as substantive IGP.
Minister of Police Affairs, Alhaji Ibrahim Gaidam, made this known on Tuesday in Abuja while briefing newsmen at the end of the council’s meeting held at the Presidential Villa.
The Police Council has the president, governors and Chairman of the Police Service Commission (PSC) as its members.
Its role is confined to the declared purpose of advising the president in the appointment of an IGP.
Gaidam said that the meeting centred on the confirmation of the Inspector-General of Police, who had been in acting capacity since four months ago.
According to Gaidam, Mr Egbetokun is eminently qualified to be appointed as the IGP because of his dedication and commitment to the force and to national security.
“We just had a meeting of the Police Council with President Bola Tinubu. The meeting focused on the confirmation of the acting Inspector-General of Police as the substantive Inspector-General of Police.
“He has been in acting capacity since he was appointed last three or four months ago. Based on our records and what we physically seen in him, he has a very rich Curriculum Vitae.
“He has attended several police and security courses and he is eminently qualified to be confirmed.
“I found him to be very qualified, very honest, very transparent and very hard working,’’ Gaidam said.
Similarly, the Minister of State for Police Affairs, Imaan Suleiman-Ibrahim, said Egbetokun had demonstrated clear understanding of the Renewed Hope Police Agenda.
“I invite everyone to be part of this reform. In the past we had reform papers that were not implemented. The current reform within the police ecosystem will be different.
“This reform is going to be backed by resources so that it is fully implemented and actualised. I invite the general public to perform their obligation toward policing.
“Police affairs are citizens affairs; everybody has a role to play,’’ Nigeria’s first female minister of state for police affairs said.
On his part, the Chairman of the PSC, former IGP, Mr Solomon Arase, affirmed that Egbetokun’s confirmation would give him the necessary confidence to lead his men.
He said apart from the confirmation of the IGP, Tinubu was also desirous of security sector reforms.
“We believe that there is the need for us to sit with critical stakeholders and take a look again at our internal security management.
“We need to look at all issues; examine timelines and implementation strategies,’’ Arase said.