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The
Presidency has started perusing the credentials of
the likely successors to the Inspector General of
Police, Mr. Mike Okiro, as he prepares for his
terminal leave.
However, it was gathered in Abuja on Friday that
some interest groups are gearing up to mount
pressure on President Umaru Yar’Adua to appointment
a Northerner to succeed Okiro.At least, about four
senior police officers are in the running to replace
Okiro whose tenure will expire on July 24. By
that time, Okiro will be 60 years old, but would
only have served for 32 years in the Police.
Though the IGP is expected to start his terminal
leave on April 24, three months before his expected
departure from office, our correspondent however
learnt that he might not proceed like his
predecessor, Sunday Ehindero.
By law, public officers in Nigeria are expected to
retire after 35 years in service, or after attaining
60 years of age, whichever comes first.
Okiro succeeded Chief Sunday Ehindero in June 2007.
He was born on July 24, 1949 and joined the Nigeria
Police Force on August 1, 1977.
Among the top contenders for the job is DIG Ogbonna
Onovo, who is the most senior of all the DIGs. He
even became DIG before Okiro who was given double
promotion from the rank of Commissioner of Police to
the rank of DIG. Onovo acted for one day after
Ehindero’s retirement before President Yar’Adua
appointed Okiro.
Contrary to the earlier report, Onovo will not be
due for retirement until August 1, 2012 when he
would have served the police for 35 years having
enlisted in the Force on August 1, 1977.
Onovo, who hails from Nkanu Local Government Area of
Enugu State, has a degree in Political Science and
was one time Director-General of National Drug Law
Enforcement Agency.
Those said to also be on the list of the Presidency
are Ringim, a former Force Secretary, who is
expected to retire from the Force on August 1, 2014
and John Ahmadu, the DIG in charge of Research, who
reportedly is to remain in the Force up till
November 11, 2015.
While Ringim also has a degree in Education, Ahmadu
has a first degree in Sociology.
Others in the race include the Assistant Inspector
General of Police in charge of Zone 2, Alhaji
Muhammed Abubakar, and AIG in-charge of Police
College unit, Hafiz Ringim.
In pushing for the candidacy of these officers from
the North, some influential political forces believe
that it is now the turn of the region as the IGP
position has been in the South since the return to
civilian government in 1999. Southern officers who
have held the position since are Messrs Musiliu
Smith, Tafa Balogun, Ehindero and Okiro.
While Ringim hails from Ringim, Jigawa State,
Ahamadu is from Takum, Taraba State and Abubakar,
from Zamfara State.
But a source at the FHQ said that the Force would be
losing a lot if the appointment of who becomes the
IGP would be determined by geographical location.
One of the sources said, “It is unfortunate that we
can be debating on who leads the Force when the roll
call of senior officers are there? Naturally, the
next officer in rank and seniority ought to take
over, but because the military came and messed up
the institution, we believe that was the right
thing.
“In the military, it is not so. Though it is the
prerogative of the President to determine who
becomes IGP, yet he has to look at the credentials
of the options he has.”
The Special Adviser to the President on Media and
Publicity, Mr. Olusegun Adeniyi, did not pick his
telephone when our correspondent sought his reaction
on Friday, while an aide to the Minister of Police
Affairs who pleaded anonymity said he would get a
briefing from the minister before responding to our
enquiry.
But the spokesperson of the Police Service
Commission, Ms. Comfort Obi, said that the only
input that the commission could make was through the
chairman of the PSC, who she said is also a member
of the Police Council that is saddled with the
responsibility of appointing the IGP. |
