PSC Replies Ohanaeze, Says Police Promotion Based On Merit Not Ethnicity

The Police Service Commission, Sunday, said promotions of senior police officers, including promotion into the office of commissioner of police, ‘are based on availability of vacancies, seniority, free of any pending disciplinary matter and merit, except in few cases of special promotion’.

The PSC, replying to a statement by the Ohanaeze Ndigbo that only one commissioner of police from Southeast was promoted in the recent police promotions, said, “There are laid-down rules, regulations and conditions which an officer must satisfy such as: must have stayed two years in a rank; must not have had any special promotion in the immediate past five years, and must not have a pending disciplinary matter (PDM).”

The commission stated this in a statement issued by its head, press and public relations, Ikechukwu Ani, which was made available to THE WHISTLER in Abuja.

According to the statement, “The Ohanaeze noted that only one Igbo son was promoted to the rank of CP in the recent exercise, and that all commissioners of police in the Southeast are northerners. It also observed that not many Igbo officers are in the high echelon of the force.

“The commission also allows the inspector general of police, who is the operational head of the police, to recommend qualified and deserving officers to the commission for promotion. This is a synergy the commission has forged with the police to ensure complementarity in the management of its officers.

“The commission does not, and has never approved promotion of any police officer based on ethnic or any other considerations, except the ones stated above. It is also important to state that it is not true that command commissioners of police in the Southeast are all from the north. The CPs for Imo, Abia and Anambra state commands are not northerners. Only the CPs for Enugu and Ebonyi are from the north, just as there are Igbo CPs in other zones. The CP for Bayelsa and Oyo states are Igbo. There are also many other Igbo sons who are commissioners of police of different police formations in the country.

“It is also not true that not many Igbo officers are in the high echelon of the force.

Just recently, an Igbo son, former commissioner of police in charge of police budget, who was promoted a deputy inspector general of police, was deployed as DIG A, that is overseeing administration and finance, a very sensitive department in the police management team.”

“The commission therefore assured the leadership of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo that it would ‘at no time consciously marginalize any section of the country in the promotion and deployment of senior police officers’. It added that, “The commission will continue to be guided by the established rules guiding promotions in the police and in the larger interest of the Nigerian nation.”

Our correspondent reported that a release by Chief Emeka Attamah, special adviser on media to the president general of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, questioned the fairness of the recent promotions into the echelons of the force. According to it, “A cursory look at the list shows that Northwest zone has 12 new commissioners of police, Northeast, eight; Southwest, seven; Southsouth, five; Northcentral, four, while predictably Southeast brought up the rear with just one new commissioner.

“Ohanaeze Ndigbo is irked that the already depleted Southeast population in the force deserved only one slot, and unequivocally condemns and rejects this provocative act of marginalization.”