Police Recruitment: PSC Worry Over Low Enrollment Of South East Youth

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – The Police Service Commission (PSC) has expressed worry over the poor enrollment of youths from the South-East geo political zone of the country into the Nigeria Police Force NPF.

Barrister Onyemuche Nnamani, who is the Commissioner, representing South-East in the PSC, stated this Friday in Enugu during a one day town hall/sensitization meeting on police recruitment held in Enugu.

The former Secretary to Enugu State government explained that the town hall meeting was put together by the Commission with a view to sensitizing residents of the state on the need for youths in the area to embrace the NPF.

According to him, the meeting became necessary following the seeming lack of interest in the police force by youths in the region, stressing that even those that applied were not the best from the zone.

He said ” an additional concern is the fact that most of the applicants seem academically challenged as more than 90 per cent have consistently failed to score up to 30 per cent in the examinations.

Nnamani added that “This is a sad reflection of the caliber of officers that will be patrolling our communities in the event that these persons actually end up enlisted in the police,” he said.

He said the issues border on security of lives and property of the people and the best time to talk about it is now, positing further that the best time to join the NPF was now, as the Commission was reforming the system.

“The NPF that will tackle the security challenges in the country will be a new police force that will be well equipped and remunerated.

“The purpose of this meeting is to act in order to change this unsatisfactory development. Our people should join the armed forces,” he said.

The sensitisation he further disclosed, would be taken to all the states in the South East Region.

Speaking at the event, Enugu State governor, Chief Ifeanyi Lawrence Ugwuanyi, who spoke via Secretary to the state government, Prof. Simon Ortuanya, had urged residents of the state to start joining the police force.

Delivering a keynote address, Consultant to PSC, Prof. Felix Asogwa of the Enugu State University of Science and Technology ESUT, stayed that the situation presented by the data as it affected the south east zone in the recruitment process was disturbing.

Asogwa who is also the Director, Institute for peace, Conflict and Development Studies (IPCDS), ESUT, stated that not less than 81, 000 persons had so far applied nationwide, stressing that only about 7, 652 of such applications were from the Southeast.

He said: “The current 2021/2022 police recruitment exercise is a case point. All the states in the region recorded abysmal figures in the current exercise.

“For instance, out of the 1, 679 applicants shortlisted for recruitment in Ebonyi, only 779, applicants turned out for screening while 330 made it into the second round of the exercise.

“In Enugu State, 2, 945 youths were shortlisted for recruitment but only 1, 795 applicants turned out for screening.

The University Don equally disclosed that 2000 persons applied in Abia while 1, 098 of the applicants turned up for the screening, giving a deficit of 54.9 per cent.

He hinted that Imo recorded only 870 applicants for the recruitment with about 37 per cent turned out for the screening.

“Anambra is the least with only 158 applications received,” he said.

Asogwa stressed that the reason for the seeming lack of interest in the NPF might not be unconnected with the perceived poor remuneration of police officers.

“Some of the problems are that the people assume the officers are poorly remunerated which is not commensurated with the demand of the job and its associated risks as well as negative image.

“However, the Federal Government has come up with juicy packages. Our youths should know this for them to correct this erroneous impression.

“Most of these reasons are not logical enough as the strategic importance of the police in the community cannot be over-emphasised,” Asogwa said.

In his remark, Enugu State Commissioner of police, Mr. Lawal who was represented by the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Enugu Police Command, Mr Chinedu Okoh encouraged the youths in the state to embrace the police force.

Okoh explained that the people of the area needed to occupy the public space as some problems were better solved when you speak local language.

The event was attended by traditional rulers in the state, youths, amongst others.