The Federal Government has granted the Nigeria Police Force self-accounting status which takes it out of the financial control of the Ministry of Police Affairs.
The Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar, who announced this in Abuja on Friday during a workshop for police finance officers, described the approval as a watershed coming after more than eight decades since the Nigeria Police Force was established as a single and centralized national Police Force in 1930.
He said that as a step towards building the necessary infrastructure for a smooth operation of the new status, the Force would take every necessary measure towards ensuring that the Finance and Account units, at all levels of the Force, are staffed with officers with requisite accounting and professional backgrounds.
According to him, the officers would work with tested civilian finance officers in order to promote professionalism and guarantee effective service delivery.
Abubakar charged the finance officers to strictly adhere to financial regulations and other extant circulars, adding that appropriate sanctions await any officer who compromises his office.
He expressed profound appreciation to the Accountant-General of the Federation for his roles in formalizing the self-accounting status of the Force and for the speedy deployment of two Directors in charge of Finance and Accounts and Audit to assist the Police in ensuring a seamless take off of the new status.
The one-day meeting which also had in attendance the Deputy Inspectors-General of Police,and other senior Police Officers also witnessed lectures, symposia and other trainings on accounting best practices and the expectation of the Force from its accounting personnel
