The Minister of Police Affairs, Alhaji Maigari Dingyadi, at the weekend sought medical supports for police personnel and their family members from the Doctors Without Borders/Medecins Sans Frontieres to enable them to discharge their duty efficiently.
This was contained in a statement made available to newsmen by the Head (Press and Public Relations Unit) of the Ministry of Police Affairs, Mallam Bolaji Kazeem.
According to the statement, the minister made the request during a courtesy visit by Doctors without Borders led by the Head of Mission in Nigeria, Mr Syed Shaukat Muttaqi, to the ministry’s headquarters in Abuja.
The minister stated that police were part of the society and vulnerable people in the country which had led to the loss of lives of several of the personnel in the course of protecting the citizens and thereby needed the support of everybody including Doctors Without Borders.
According to the minister, “I believe that you are aware that the police are one of the most vulnerable security services in the country. We have lost so many and many officers had been affected with injuries, as partners in progress, we do hope you can extend some of the services to police hospitals in the country.”
He recalled the activities of the group while he was the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Health in Sokoto State years back, and thanked the organization for promoting local content through the employment of over 90 percent of Nigerians as staff of the organization.
Speaking earlier, Dr Simba Tirima, revealed that the group had been around since 1996, rendering medical support to all the geopolitical zones of the country.
He noted that the sum of N17.7billion had been expended by the group on humanitarian services to vulnerable people in the country.
…charges PCRC to focus on advocacy, sensitization on community policing objectives
Meanwhile, the minister also charged Police Community Relations Committee (PCRC) to focus more on capacity building, advocacy, sensitization, and more collaboration with the community to achieve the aims and objectives of the organization.
According to the statement, the minister stated this during a courtesy call by the National Working Committee (NWC) members of the Police Community Relations Committee led by its Chairman, Ambassador Farouk Abdullahi Maiyama to the ministry’s headquarters in Abuja.
The minister canvassed that the PCRC should continue to focus on sensitization and publicity to enable them achieved the aims and objectives of the organization, noting that they would be better more active and efficient as Community Police Relations Committee rather than upgrading to Police Community Board as an agency under government.
According to him, “the essence of your organization is to have a link between people and police. These are the kind of things we want and the benefit of what you are doing to the country are huge and once that link is lost the police would have a lot to lose.”
He said they were needed now more than previous years because of the security challenges facing the country as a nation, adding that through their activities Nigerians should be able to appreciate what police were doing in the country.
The minister stated that the PCRC efforts to establish women and youth committees was a strategic and welcome development, noting that their roles could not be ignored as they constituted a larger percentage of the population and that there was the need to do more collaboration with them.
He commended the leadership of the PCRC for the interest and dedication they have shown in the course of their assignment, adding that their numerous requests would be attended to within the law and available resources.
Earlier, the Chairman National Working Committee (NWC), Police Community Relations Committee (PCRC), Ambassador Farouk Abdullahi Maiyama, had expressed the desire of the organization to continue to partner and support the ministry to ensure that the country was safe and secure for all citizens as well as those wishing to invest in the country.
He said PCRC recognized the critical role of women and youths in tackling the security challenges currently facing the country which made the National Executive Council resolved to establish Women and Youth Committee, a capacity building committee, and urged the Ministry to upgrade the PCRC to a Community Policing Board (CPB).
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