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President Goodluck Jonathan on Wednesday in Abuja at the
commissioning of the Nigeria Police aircraft/helicopter hangar at the Nnamdi
Azikwe International Airport, called on all tiers of government and the private
sector to commence the payment of their own share of the N1.5 trillon meant for
the Police Reforms Programme in the interest of security.

The president maintained “that the ongoing reforms in the police
has made it mandatory for government to provide essential facilities and
logistical equipment needed by the force to ensure that government delivers on
its primary responsibility of providing adequate security for its citizens.”

Mr. Jonathan was represented by the Minister of Police Affairs,
Humphrey Abah. He said the federal government is expecting the delivery of two
additional police helicopters – a Cessna Citation XLS “for higher command and
control and high level operational duties” by the force.

According to him, “It is noteworthy that the ongoing reform
programme of the Nigeria Police Force has placed a high premium on the
provision of facilities and logistical equipment to ensure that government
delivers on its primary responsibility of providing a secured environment to
its citizens.” The president added, “All these efforts are practical
demonstrations of the commitment of this administration to protecting the lives
and property of all citizens across the width and breadth of this country.”

Answering questions from reporters, the minister urged the
members of the public and the media to daily appreciate the sacrificial work of
the police to spur them to do more.

He said, “That is the kind of ‘energization’ that the policeman
will get when you encourage him and say something good about him. So I want to
appeal to us gentlemen of the press, find a portion of your publication that
says something, daily, good about the policeman, that says something positive
good about the policeman.”

On the violence that has engulfed Bornu and Plateau states in
view of the forthcoming April elections, the minister said calm would soon be
restored in the areas.

“If you notice, Bornu has been calm and it is going to be calmer
by the grace of God. We are getting to Jos and Jos will also be calm in the
next few weeks. The deployments we have done are just beginning to spread and
take root.

“We are deploying both IT and human material resources. We are
deploying vehicles. In the next one or two weeks all our deployments will be
complete and I believe that you will begin to help us sing a new song that
those places are calm,” he stated.

The project, which was awarded in June 2005, was later stalled due to the
unavailability of funds but work recommenced in June 2010 through funds
provided by the present administration according to the permanent secretary of
the ministry, Bukar Goni Aji. At the event were the Inspector General of Police
Hafiz Ringim, the chairman of the Police Service Commission (PSC), Parry
Osayande, former chairman of the PSC, Simon Okeke, and the Senate and House
Committee Chairmen on Police Affairs.