Ngozi James
The CLEEN Foundation with support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have commenced the implementation of Police Reform and Transformation Office Project (PORTO), which is anchored on the Presidential Roadmap to reform policing in Nigeria.
Peter Gad, Executive Director, who made this known at the Open Forum on Public Safety held in Abuja on Tuesday, described the Roadmap as a new vision for policing in Nigeria.
Gad, stated that the security system is overwhelmed by an ever increasing volume of incidences occasioned by security challenges necessitating in the repealing of the Police Act Cap. P19 Laws of the Federation, 2004 which he notes gave room for the new Police Act 2020 and approved by President Mohammadu Buhari.
The Executive Director explained that the focal point of the open forum is targeted at the implementation of the Act, aimed at providing an effective Police Force driven by the principles of professionalism, accountability and transparency in its operations and the management of its resources.
“To chart an action plan for implementation of this new Police Act 2020, it is expected that there should be an engagement of key stakeholders to brainstorm and agree on the way forward,” he said.
Gad pointed out that the Foundation took interest in areas such as police structure and accountability; professionalism and effectiveness, capacity building of the personnel, civilization of non-core policing functions; strengthening internal and external disciplinary procedures and insulation of police from partisan control among others.
He also said the foundation has played a critical role in the policing reforms for over two decades, in collaboration with all relevant stakeholders.
“CLEEN has implemented several initiatives with the overall objective of transforming the Nigeria Police Force into a service that could protect citizens and maintain a secure and safe democratic order in an effective and professional manner,” he added.
In 2021, he said the CLEEN Foundation launched a project to Strengthen Police Reform Efforts in Nigeria with support from the MacArthur Foundation, explaining that the project goal is to entrench a rights-respecting policing atmosphere in line with democratic values through government implementation of the various police reform recommendations in Nigeria.
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