Members of the Nigerian Police Force have threatened to strike over the non-implementation of the new salary plan by the Federal Government and lack of sophisticated weapons to fight crime.
Current Situation
With a staff strength of about 371,800 officers as of 2016, the Nigerian Police Force has faced criticism in recent years over the professionalism of its officers, claims of extortion, efficiency and much more. In 2020, there was a protest seeking a reform in Nigeria’s Police Force.
According to the Federal Government, one way to better the working conditions of the Nigerian Police Force was to increase the officer’s salaries. President Buhari approved a new salary structure for the law enforcers on the 5th of January 2022. The new salary structure would see a police recruit (lowest rank in the police force) earn an annual salary of N108,233 while the Inspector General of Police (highest rank in the Nigerian Police Force) would receive an annual income of N8,537,976.
The Federal Government is also working on improving the expertise of its law enforcers.
What they are saying
The Inspector General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba has directed the authorities to begin the implementation of the new salary structure. He assured Nigerians that there will be no strike and any officer embarking on one would be acting in rebellion.
What does this mean?
If the Nigerian Police Force embarks on a strike action, there would likely be an exponential jump in the security challenge ravaging different parts of the country.