March 10, (THEWILL) – Former Chairman of Police Service Commission (PSC), DIG Parry Osayande (retd), has faulted the power of the Inspector General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba, to approve a new dress code for Police personnel.
THEWILL had reported that the IGP, Usman Baba, had recently approved a dress code allowing female Police personnel to wear earrings, hijab or head scarves under their berets.
Speaking to newsmen in Benin City, the Edo State capital, Osayande said it was only the Nigeria Police Council, which is in charge of the administration of the force, that has the powers to approve
Specifically on the approval of hijab, he said, “That is a Muslim way of dressing, but we call it Nigeria Police not Benin Police or Hausa Police or Igbo Police, not Muslim Police or Catholic Police, but the Nigeria Police.
“This decision is wrong and Nigerians are keeping quiet? They should be told. The Nigerian constitution is the supreme law of the land, it is the highest law.
“There is Section 27 of the 1999 constitution that sets up the Nigeria Police Council. The Police Council is a body made up of the President as the chairman, all the governors of the 36 states as members, the chairman of the Police Service Commission as a member and the IGP as member.
“Their function is the administration of the Nigeria Police and the administration includes the approval of uniform for use by the Nigeria Police. So a part can never be equal to a whole. That decision is a breach of the constitution.
“If the Attorney-General does not know his job, that is unfortunate. There are people who can teach him, because he cannot just take us for granted. The IGP has no powers to make such a pronouncement, nobody can give what he doesn’t have.
“To alter a button in the police uniform must be approved by the Police Council and even if it is approved by the Police Council, it cannot impose what is illegal on Nigerians.
“I was chairman of the Police Service Commission for five years, the Police Council did not meet one day for over 20 years now, the council has not met.”
He said the police should be better motivated in terms of training and provision of equipment for them to render efficient service to Nigerians.
“Nigeria has 774 local government areas and we don’t have up to 800 vehicles for the police to cover the areas. How do you expect them to do well?”
