Take Advantage Of Police Recruitment To Reposition Imo, Uzodimma Urges Youths

By Sampson Uhuegbu, Owerri

Imo Governor, Sen. Hope Uzodimma, has urged youths to take advantage of the ongoing recruitment into the Nigeria Police Force to reposition the state.

The governor said this at a town hall meeting organised by the Police Service Commission (PSC) which held at the Rockview Hotels, Owerri, Wednesday.

Uzodimma, who was represented by his Commissioner for Homeland Security and Vigilante Affairs, Dr Ugorji O. Ugorji, said that having more persons in the police would increase the state’s future chances of leadership in the force.

He thanked the PSC for organising the event and called on traditional and other stakeholders to encourage youths at the grassroots to join the police force.

“There is a great need to take advantage of the ongoing recruitment because the more qualified persons we get into this force, the better for us”, he urged.

“We created the Ministry of Homeland Security so as to demonstrate our commitment to security of Imo people and streamline both federal and state security agencies for optimal results”, he said.

Speaking, the PSC Commissioner for the South-East, Mr Onyemauche Nnamani, decried the “nonchalant attitude of youths in the geo-political zone toward police recruitment, describing it as worrisome.

He advised state governments to consider establishing a bureau for career development which he said would be aimed at sensitising the youths on the gains of being part of the nation’s military, paramilitary and civil service.

“There is compelling need to encourage brilliant, strong and courageous youths to join the police if we want protection and a safe state in the near future”, he said.

Also, the Commissioner for Police in Imo, Mr Hussein Rabiu urged the youths to change their disposition toward the police and see the force as decent and well intended as this would encourage more persons to join.

Also speaking, Prof. Felix Asogwa who is the Director, Institute for Peace, Conflict and Development Studies, Enugu State University of Science and Technology said that available statistics indicated a cold feet of South-East youth toward police recruitment.

“In the last recruitment, out of 81,005 applicants, only 7,652 came from the South-East, representing less than 10 per cent and indicating that we need to get more involved as the consequences of non-involvement can be disastrous”, he said.

Also, Chairman of Imo Traditional Rulers, Eze Emmanuel Okeke, represented by Eze Lucky Okoro, called for a review of the Police mode of employment and a return to the Federal character system to encourage more qualified applicants.

The event was attended by top ranked Police men and traditional rulers from different parts of the state.