Nigeria Police Force (NPF) is grappling with a significant housing shortage for its members across all ranks, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, has disclosed. He made this known at the the first Nigeria Police Housing Summit in Abuja.
Thus, the IGP Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun is seeking the establishment of a NGN 100 billion police housing fund. According to him, the current capacity of Police meets only about 10 per cent of the needs of more than 400,000-strong workforce. He hinted that years of neglect rendered existing barracks accommodations largely inadequate for modern 21st-century policing.
TheMediaGood Newspaper quotes the IGP, ‘Upon my appointment as IGP, I identified the welfare of our personnel as a cornerstone of my administration. A key aspect of enhancing our officers’ conditions is the provision of appropriate housing during and after their service. This task is monumental, as the Force grapples with a significant housing shortage for its members across all ranks.’
‘In the past, the NPF had launched initiatives to address these shortfalls, including the establishment of the Nigeria Police Force Property Development and Construction Company and forging partnerships with various state governments, government bodies, sister organisations and private sector developers.’
However, the impact of the efforts had been minimal, highlighting the urgent need for a strategic reassessment and a revamp of the execution framework to adequately meet the officers’ housing needs.
Egbetokun added: ‘Today marks the launch of the inaugural Nigeria Police Housing Summit. Under the theme ‘Renewed Hope for Police Housing in Nigeria’, and supported by sub-themes such as ‘Accessible Housing: An Indispensable Welfare Tool’ and ‘Pragmatic Solutions for Police Housing’, this summit is envisioned as a critical platform for discussing and developing strategies to realise our goal of providing accessible and affordable housing to our officers and men. This premier event also aims to foster comprehensive solutions for the swift delivery of quality, cost-effective housing solutions, both rental and owned, for our force members, active and retired.’
According to him, the objectives of the Nigeria Police Housing Summit 2024 are manifold, including articulating a vision of effective housing as an essential tool for the welfare of the force’s men and officers.
Present at the event were the Minister of Housing, Ahmed Dangiwa; Chairman of the Police Service Commission (PSC), Dr Solomon Arase, all the Deputy Inspectors-General of Police (DIGs) and other stakeholders in the housing sector of Nigeria’s economy.