President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari has prolonged the tenure of the country’s Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Usman Alkali Baba, beyond his retirement age.
The IGP was born on March 1, 1963, in the Geidam Local Government Area of Yobe State and enlisted in the Nigeria Police on March 15, 1988, at 25.
IGP Baba has been in the police force for about 35 years, the limit set for all civil servants to function before retirement. The law also said that a civil servant who attains the age of 60 should equally proceed on retirement.
The IGP’s date of birth and the date of enlistment coincides with the two requirements for retirement. Either way, his retirement is, by dual default, scheduled for March 2023.
The new Police Act has pegged the tenure of an IGP to four years. And IGP Baba is just in his second year.
However, the president has the power to keep his service chiefs or any other officer in whose services he finds pleasure beyond these constitutional barriers.
It was on that note that the Minister of Police Affairs, Mohammed Dingyadi, disclosed today that IGP Baba would tarry till the end of Buhari’s tenure or even slightly beyond that until a new President decides otherwise.
The minister confirmed that the IGP was supposed to retire “midway into the general elections”, but has already “gotten a letter of extension.”
The minister explained the Police Act 2020 has changed the rules for an IGP’s retirement, adding that the new law makes the tenure of the Police boss a four-year period.
By the provision of the Police Act 2020, the IG is now supposed to have a kind of four-year period and Mr. President has already given him a letter of appointment in that regard. So the issue of IG going out during this election period does not arise.”
Dingyadi said the FEC approved the draft bill for an Act to establish Nigeria Police Institutions, which he said is to provide legal backing to the existing training institutions across the country and not to build new ones
The minister said despite the public out about conduct of the police, “the level of corruption within the Nigeria Police has drastically reduced.”
IGP Baba was appointed to head the Nigeria police on April 6, 2021. The Police Council confirmed him as the substantive Inspector General of Police June of the same year.
Bay States News 