…FEC approves draft bill for standardized training colleges
…Okays procurement of 31 utility vehicles for project inspection at Ogoni remediation
By Egena Sunday Ode
Minister of Police Affairs, Mohammed Maigari Dingyadi has said latest assessment from the police authorities has shown that the level of corruption attributed to police officers has drastically reduced.
Dingyadi attributed this feat to reforms initiated by the All Progressives Congress, APC, administration headed by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Although he admitted that no poll was carried out by the police authority to ascertain this claim, Dingyadi said feedbacks gotten from the public, especially from random surveys and observations in the market places and other locations where personnel are posted, have proved that the situation is getting better.
The Minister made this declaration on Wednesday, after the Federal Executive Council meeting, presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa, Abuja.
He also disclosed that FEC has approved a draft bill for standardisation of the various police training institutions in the country, which, according to him, will be transmitted to the National Assembly soon for passage.
According to him, the bill when passed and signed into law, will give legal backing to the police training institutes, including making them financially autonomous for effective and professional policing services.
Explaining the rationale for introducing the draft bill, Dingyadi said its main objective is not to establish new training colleges, but to boost the seven existing police colleges, 15 training institutes and other allied professional institutions across the country.
He said: “ I must say that even before this police proposal or bill, our findings has shown that levels of corruption has drastically reduced because of this government reforms.
“One of the objectives of this bill is to improve standard of teaching and learning in these training institutes which in the long run we are bound to have good output in terms of professional officers, by implication it will also help reduce issues of corruption”.
FEC also approved the procurement of 31 special utility vehicles to aid movement of workers, at the cost of N1.35billion following ongoing clean up of oil spill sites in Ogoni land.
Minister of Environment, Mohammed Abdullahi made the disclosure on Wednesday.
Abdullahi listed the vehicles to include one 18 seater toyota hiace bus, one 30 seater coastal bus, eleven toyota buses, 15 toyota hilux 2022 model, one toyota land crusier jeep, including two other suvs.
Recall that under the ongoing clean up exercise tagged: Hydrocarbon Pollution Remediation Project (HYPREP) over $1billion is believed to have been committed to the project.
The project which is backed by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) was flagged off in June 2016 by the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo.
According to the Minister, “we submitted a memo to FEC for the procurement of some project vehicles for the hydrocarbon remediation project, in view of numerous projects in Ogoni which includes the shore-line remediation, centres of excellence to be built in Ogoni land, there is a need to procure project vehicles which will cost over N1.354billion and was awarded to Messrs MUJAF automobiles Nig Ltd”.
