The Federal Executive Council (FEC) in a meeting presided by Vice President Prof Yemi Osinbajo, approved N8.3 billion for the purchase of operational equipment, vehicles, and other items for the Nigeria Police Force.
Driving the news
Briefing journalists on the outcome of the meeting, the Minister of Police Affairs, Alhaji Mohammed Dingyadi, stated that N2.2 billion of the allocated fund was for the purchase of 82 operational vehicles, for the several operations of the Nigerian Police.
- Other items include customized police raincoat worth N1.9 billion, customized Police boots for N576 million, purchase of micro first aid kits for the price of N1 billion, instructional materials for the police colleges and schools at the cost of N664 million and drugs and medical equipment for police hospitals in the country at the cost of N2 billion.
Why it matters
Over the years, one issue Nigerians have criticized the Nigerian Police Force for is their inadequacy to effectively carry out their duties. The Force in its defense has argued that lack of funding is the leading challenge deterring them from executing their duties.
What you should know
- In November 2021, the governor of Ekiti State and Chairman Governors’ Forum, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, claimed that the state government had been funding the police force and not the federal government.
- The Nigerian Senate in July 2021 approved N74,773,601,916.30k as the 2021 Budget of the Nigeria Police Force Trust Fund (NPTF).
- Also in December 2021, the FEC promised a 20% increase in the salaries of its personnel.