Simon Okeke
By Mike Odiakose, Abuja
A Former Chairman of the Police Service Commission, Chief (Dr.) Simon N. Okeke has congratulated the appointment of the Acting Inspector General of Police, Olatunji Disu while expressing concern over loses of senior police officer forced to go into early retirement over the appointment of the IGP.
He expressed worry over the dearth of very fine experienced senior police officers (SPOs) due to the appointment of succeeding Inspectors General of Police.
Dr. Okeke stated this against the backdrop of the recent retirement of Mr. Kayode Egbetokun as the Inspector General of Police and his replacement by AIG Tunji Disu.
In a statement issued by his Media Consultant, Chief Oliver Okpala, the former PSC boss said: “I want to warmly congratulate Mr Tunji Disu in his new exalted position as the IGP and pray that God will give him the wisdom of Solomon to lead the Nigeria Police to optimum performance of their security duties.
Dr. Okeke said the loss of quality manpower which are critical to the security of the country, due to the practice that no senior should serve under his junior is humongous and counter productive.
“Let me however state that “it has become the convention that wherever a new IGP is appointed from the serving police officers, all officers’ senior to whoever is chosen as the new Inspector General of Police are requested or expected to retire forthwith.
“For whatever good reasons that may have necessitated this, it is far outweighed by the loss arising from the resignation of the officers senior to the new IGP.
He described the practice as a collosal loss of manpower.
“Both the nation and the retiring officers are the losers. To retire an officer with still many service years to go is a colossal waste of manpower.
“Highly trained senior police officers such as AlGs and DIGs are scarce.
“To force them to resign quite often against their wish is a colossal loss to both the officers and the country.
The former chairman of the police service commission advocated security of tenure to police officers irrespective of whoever is appointed as IGP.
“Officers of whatever rank should be given security of tenure until due retirement. They should be saved from sudden unexpected and undue retirement from their chosen career
“Sudden and unprepared exit from a chosen career quite often lead to stroke and sometimes untimely death caused by the shock of sudden retirement.
He argued that those willing to continue to serve the nation should be allowed to do so while those willing to retire should also be given the free hand.
“It is advisable to allow those willing to continue to serve under their hitherto junior but now elevated a step or two above them.
“Anyone unwilling to serve will of course be eased off voluntarily. I made this point more strongly in my book Policing the Nigeria Police which captures reasonably well, the five years of my service to the Nation as Chairman Police Service Commission” Dr. Simon Okeke concluded.
