Ahead of the planned nationwide protest against the economic hardship in the country, the new Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Police Affairs, Mr. James Sule has advised the youths and staff of the ministry in particular not to join anybody to destroy the public infrastructure.
He says the government has been doing its best to reposition the economy given the global challenges from COVID-19, Russia-Ukraine war and banditry in the country.
Sule, who spoke during the handing over ceremony from his predecessor, Dr. Nasir Sani-Gwarzo at the ministry’s headquarters in Abuja, urged the staff to play their best and work as a team given the upcoming protest and be careful of destructive elements in the society whose actions do not promote a peaceful atmosphere, but clamour for the destruction of the country.
He said: “The economic challenges are not peculiar to this country alone but affect nations globally. We should not join them to destroy the country. We are not saying there is no shortcoming but gradually we come out of it to reposition the country.”
The permanent secretary added that the ministry was saddled with the responsibility of repositioning the Police to be well motivated, people friendly, and ensure the safety and security of Nigerians.
“That means we have a part to play in ensuring the effectiveness and efficiency of the police service delivery in Nigeria.
“I am assuring you that I will do my best and I want all of us to see ourselves as leaders. Everything starts and ends with leadership. Open your doors and have a listening ear to staff working with you and offer any help you can. We still have a lot to do to improve the service delivery of the Nigeria Police to meet global standards,” he stressed.
In their goodwill messages, the Director of Human Resource Management, Mr. Stephen Simon extolled the quality attributes of the outgoing permanent secretary for having a very good listening ear to every problem, reports, and being ready to proffer solutions.
The chairman of the Joint Union, Comrade Archibong Okon, and the leader of the National Youths Service Corps, NYSC, Mr. Adetoyinbo Oluwaferanmi Pamilerin thanked Sani-Gwarzo for his open-door policy, transparent, humane, and father figure in dealing with them.
Earlier, the outgoing permanent secretary pointed out that once the Nigeria Police is reformed, the whole country would be reformed, adding that there is a lot of potentials in the ministry to improve the service delivery of the Police to the citizens based on the numerous technological driven projects.
“The Police became more endeared to my heart because of the potential to turn around the country. Whatever little achievement you record, it may be small in your view but has a strong transformative effect on the entire nation. Your achievement here has a magnifier that would amplify the volume of benefits that you would contribute to the nation,” Sani-Gwarzo said.
According to him, the directors are important people in the civil service and urged the staff to extend cooperation to the incoming permanent secretary, adding that he has a flair for quality output and dedication of staff.