IGP Egbetokun’s Tenure And The Telegraph Newspaper’s False Narration, by Adewole Kehinde

“A champion is someone who gets up when he can’t.” Jack Dempsey

I read a so-called “investigation” by the Sunday Telegraph Newspaper titled “IGP Egbetokun’s tenure extension leaves 183 DIGs, AIGs, and CPs with uncertain futures—investigation” and laughed over the sponsored publication.

In the first instance, I83 senior police officers cannot be the Inspector General of Police, and even if IGP Kayode Egbetokun leaves today, only 1 person can become an IGP even after 2027. 

The so-called “investigation” forgot the tradition that all the Deputy Inspectors General of Police must leave once the Inspector General of Police steps down as IGP.

As I have said on several occasions, the Inspector General of Police didn’t get a tenure extension but a clarification letter that his tenure of office, based on Section 7 subsection 6, of the Police Act 2020 (as amended), is sacrosanct.

Also, the Force Public Relations Officer (FPRO), ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, had disclosed in a statement issued on September 6. that, ‘This letter, dated November 21, 2023, clearly stated that the President had approved a four-year tenure for the IGP following the provisions of Section 215(a) and Section 28(c) of the Third Schedule of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended). 

The Telegraph Investigation that revealed “most of the eight (8) Deputy Inspectors General (DIGs), who currently constitute the Police Management Team (PMT), may bow out of service before 2027” is very wrong. 

It is unfortunate that the Editor of the Telegraph Newspaper is ignorant and only published what he was paid to do because all the DIGs will retire at 60 years of age or 35 years in service as stipulated in the Constitution, unlike in the past when they will all go with the IGP on retirement, either they obtain the age of 60 years or 35 years in service.

I am happy that a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Victor Okpara while explaining that the position of the IGP is a different ballgame, posited that the law extending the tenure of the IGP has been passed by the National Assembly. He, therefore, insisted that officers below the rank of the IGP would not be part of the gesture because it only concerns the office of the IGP, who is an appointee of the president.

According to Okpara, “Since officers below the rank of the IGP will not benefit from that gesture; they have no choice but to go when they attain the retirement age of 60.“ The law extending the tenure of the IGP has been validly passed by the National Assembly. That becomes the law.

The Nigerian media and its sponsors of false news should know that the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun is busy implementing his vision for the Nigeria police, which is, “To have a professionally competent, service-driven, rule of law-compliant, and people-friendly police force that will support the agenda of the government for economic recovery and growth as well as the socio-integration and political development of Nigeria; a police force that is well-positioned to respond appropriately and adequately to the dynamics of crimes and criminality in our contemporary society.”.

I must commend IGP Egbetokun for this timely vision, and I call on the Federal Government to back the IGP’s vision for the police with adequate funding.

Adewole Kehinde is the publisher of Swift Reporters and can be reached at 08166240846. E-mail: kennyadewole@gmail.com