…as Mbah Leads Governors on Nationwide Assessment
The Governor of Enugu State and Chairman of the National Economic Council (NEC) Committee on the Overhaul of Police and Other Security Training Institutions in Nigeria, Peter Mbah, has revealed that President Bola Tinubu has declared an emergency on the nation’s security training institutions.
According to Mbah, the move forms part of the federal government’s renewed efforts to tackle criminality and security challenges across the country.
Speaking at the Police Training College, Ikeja, Lagos, during the committee’s inspection of security training facilities nationwide, Mbah said the initiative followed the president’s proposal at the 152nd meeting of the NEC held a fortnight ago, where Tinubu expressed deep concern over the deplorable state of such facilities across the nation.
The Enugu State governor clarified that the initiative had no connection to recent comments by former U.S. President Donald Trump on Nigeria’s security situation, stressing that the move was purely proactive.
“President Tinubu believes we can only get the best out of our personnel if they are trained in conducive environments with access to 21st-century tools and teaching methods,” Mbah stated.
He assured that the committee, which includes Governors Uba Sani (Kaduna), Dapo Abiodun (Ogun), Kefas Agbu (Taraba), Umo Eno (Akwa Ibom), Dauda Lawal (Zamfara), and Abdullahi Sule (Nasarawa), alongside former Inspector-General of Police, Baba Usman, as Secretary, would treat the assignment with utmost seriousness and urgency.
“The president recognises the need for bold and urgent steps to restore the pride, professionalism, and confidence of our security personnel,” Mbah told journalists.
“In his words, you cannot expect men and women who are protecting our communities to be trained in inhumane environments. This is not acceptable. This initiative is not a reactionary move but a forward-thinking one by a proactive president who acknowledges that our training institutions have suffered decades of neglect.”
He disclosed that the committee had been given 30 days to submit its report, adding that two teams had been set up to visit facilities across the northern and southern parts of the country.
“The president saw this as an emergency. There will be an intervention to rebuild and equip these institutions. As you know, he has approved the recruitment of an additional 30,000 police officers, and that cannot happen without adequate training facilities. So, we are treating this with the seriousness it deserves,” Mbah said.
He further noted that the revamp would be comprehensive, aiming to align the training of security personnel with global standards.
“We cannot train a 21st-century police force using 20th-century methods. Our personnel must be equipped with modern skills — Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, Mechatronics, and other digital competencies essential for contemporary policing,” he added.
Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State, who was also on the inspection team, said the inclusion of governors in the committee underscored the president’s commitment to addressing the issue urgently.
“We have listened to you and carried out on-the-spot assessments of your concerns. You can be sure that the intervention will be immediate, as this committee does not have the luxury of time,” he assured.
Commandant of the Police Training College, AIG Omolara Oloruntola, expressed appreciation to President Tinubu for the initiative, lamenting the institution’s infrastructural decay since its establishment by the British colonial authorities in 1949.
She emphasized that only an immediate and far-reaching intervention could restore the institution to its former glory.
