It is with a sense of elation and deep professional fulfillment that I welcome you to this epoch-making Press Conference which is designed to herald the commencement of 2013 Police Week Celebrations. My sense of fulfillment stems from the fact that it is under my stewardship as Inspector-General of Police that the concept of Nigeria Police Week, which has remained uncelebrated since 1976, is being re-introduced.
2. The implication, ladies and gentlemen, is that policing is returning to the basics and the traditional values and practices of the Force are being restored. The good old days when the police stations were thrown open for members of the public to walk in and interact with their policemen and officers; when police commanders and smartly dressed police women would proudly interact with the youth community and security stakeholders in the society; and when the expertise of the Force would be showcased in form of demonstrations by versatile police motorcycle riders, proud and smartly turned out officers and men on ceremonial parade and breath-taking demonstrations by police dogs are here again. Today, the Force leadership is giving practical meaning to its firm determination to restore the lost glory of the Force and re-enact those practices which bind the citizens to their police and elicit fond memories of the Force.
3. Beyond the fun-fare, the 2013 Police Week Celebrations conveys a deeper message. It provides a veritable window for us to undertake institutional self-appraisal by celebrating our achievements in an increasingly complex security and crime environment, while also identifying our peculiar challenges in the fight against crime. On this occasion, we shall look at our past, appreciate our present and make projections for the future. Furthermore, ladies and gentlemen, the 2013 Police Week provides an opportunity for us to identify and reward deserving officers who have displayed exceptional gallantry and professional excellence in the line of duty and those that have paid the supreme sacrifice while discharging their constitutional mandate. Such officers will be duly recognized and given Awards by the President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces in line with policing tradition and standards.
4. Above all, the long-term objective of the Police Week Celebrations is to bridge the increasingly widening gap between the public and the police and give positive connotation to the popular saying that ‘police is your friend’.We are determined to introduce projects that will correct all misconception and stereotypes attached to the police as an institution while re-assuring the public of our commitment to their security interests as well as our desire to remain accountable to them. In this regards, the 2013 Police Week Celebrations will engender improved consciousness on the part of the rank and file of the Force on their responsibility for enhancing mutual trust and confidence in their operations and interaction with the public. It is for this reason that we chose ‘Connecting with the People for a more Effective Policing’ as the theme for the Celebrations.
5. Ladies and gentlemen of the Press, the 2013 Police Week Celebrations, being a new beginning, will be low-keyed but symbolic. Accordingly, the following modest activities have been lined up:
|
DATE |
TIME |
EVENT |
REMARKS |
VENUE |
| MON.
22-4-13 |
1000HRS | PRE-EVENT PRESS BRIEFING | TO BE ADDRESSED BY THE IGP AT FHQs, ABUJA. | IGP CONFERENCE HALL, FHQ ABUJA |
| TUE.
23-4-13 |
1000HRS | MEDICAL COMMUNITY OUTREACH
|
1. THE FORCE MEDICAL TEAM WILL UNDERTAKE MEDICAL OUTREACH WHICH WILL BE FLAGGED OFF BY THE IGP. THIS WILL INCLUDE FREE DEWORMING EXERCISE, BP CHECKS, BLOOD SUGAR LEVEL CHECK, AND FREE MEDICAL ADVICE. | 1. JABI POLICE BARRACKS
2. FORCE HEADQUARTERS 3. COMMAND CLINIC 4. GARKI BARRACKS
|
| POWA COMMUNITY OUTREACH | 2. POWA PRESIDENT WILL VISIT SOS VILLAGES/CHILDREN HOSPITALS AND DONATE ITEMS | 1. SELECTED MOTHERLESS BABIES’ HOMES
2. CHILDREN WARDS IN SELECTED HOSPITALS |
||
| WED. 24-4-13 | 1000HRS | SCHOOL COMMUNITY OUTREACH | VISITATION TO SELECTED SCHOOL/CAREER TALKS AND PRESENTATION OF SCHOOL GIFTS | 1. ROYAL FAMILY ACADEMY, WUYE, ABUJA
2. DIVINE MERCY SEC. SCH. ASOKORO, ABUJA 3. NEW CAPITAL SCHOOL, ASOKORO, ABUJA 4. GOVT. SEC. SCH., TUDUN-WADA, ABUJA 5. EL-AMIN INTERNATIONAL SCH., ABUJA 6. AR-RAHMAN INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL, ABUJA. |
| THUR.
25-4-13 |
1000HRS | QUIZ COMPETITION (TO BE LIMITED TO SIX PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN ABUJA) | WILL INVOLVE:
1. FEDERAL GOVT. GIRLS COL. BWARI 2. FED. GOVT. BOYS COL. APO 3. POLICE SEC. SCH. MINNA 4. AR-RAHMAN INTERNATIONAL SCH. AREA 11, ABUJA 5. DIVINE MERCY SEC. SCH., ASOKORO 6. MODEL SEC. SCH., MAITAMA |
NUC AUDITORIUM, ABUJA. IT WILL BE AIRED LIVE ON NTA |
| FRI.
26-4-13 |
1400HRS | JUMA’AT PRAYERS | – | NATIONAL MOSQUE, ABUJA |
| SAT.
27-4-13 |
1000HRS | SYMPOSIUM/LAUNCH OF ‘NIGERIA POLICE : THE JOURNEY SO FAR’ | YAR’ADUA CENTRE, ABUJA
|
|
| SUN. 28-4-13 | 1000HRS | THANKSGIVING SERVICE | (DRESS CODE – NO. 2 REVIEW ORDER DRESS) | NATIONAL ECUMENICAL CENTRE, ABUJA
|
| MON.
29-4-13 |
0800HRS | CEREMONIAL PARADE AND AWARD | PRESIDENT COMMANDER –IN-CHIEF WILL REVIEW PARADE, GIVE AWARDS TO SELECTED OFFICERS, AND LAUNCH POLICE HELICOPTERS/PATROL VEHICLES ACQUIRED FOR NEW INTEGRATED AIR AND LAND ANTI-CRIME STRATEGY OF THE FORCE | EAGLE SQUARE ABUJA |
6. The activities for the 2013 edition will be limited to Abuja. However, the next edition will be more elaborate and will cover all Police Commands in the Federation.
7. Permit me to use this medium, ladies and gentlemen, to thank the President, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, GCFR for supporting this Vision. I must also thank members of the 2013 Police Week Organising Committee who have since late last year been working assiduously towards making the Event a reality. To you the esteemed members of the fifth estate of the realm, I thank you most sincerely for your support as symbolized by your attendance, even at short notice. I, however, count on you to give the widest ever possible publicity to the events scheduled for these Celebrations. For it is only by so doing that you can aid the Force in transmitting the message of reconnecting to the Public to the widest audience.
8. I thank you for your attendance and look forward to interacting with you more as the celebrations progress.
