Reform: Federal Government Mulls 1% Deduction For Police Trust Fund

The Federal Government is considering a connection to fortify constabulary reforms done an upward reappraisal of backing for the Nigeria Police Trust Fund (NPTF) and the repeal of its six-year lifespan clause to marque it a imperishable agency.

The Minister of Police Affairs, Senator Ibrahim Gaidam, disclosed this to State House correspondents astatine the extremity of the Police Council gathering presided implicit by President Bola Tinubu astatine the Presidential Villa, Abuja, connected Thursday.

Gaidam explained that the Nigeria Police Trust Fund, established successful 2019 by the Federal Government with a renewable beingness span of six years, was designed to code cardinal gaps successful constabulary training, logistics, infrastructure, and welfare.

He said that portion the Fund had recorded advancement successful supporting constabulary operations and capableness building, its sunset clause had created uncertainty and hindered semipermanent planning.

“The sunset clause successful the existent Act constrains sustainable betterment and semipermanent improvement of the Nigeria Police Force,” the curate said. “We are truthful seeking support to repeal and re-enact the NPTF Establishment Act 2025, region the sunset clause, and modulation the Fund into a imperishable agency.”

He further projected an upward reappraisal of the statutory deduction from the Federation Account from 0.5 per cent to 1 per cent, saying the summation was indispensable to guarantee capable and predictable backing for ongoing reforms successful the constabulary system.

According to him, the further allocation volition alteration the NPTF to fortify its mandate successful cardinal areas, including the grooming and retraining of constabulary personnel, proviso of modern crime-fighting equipment, betterment of payment packages, and concern successful technology-driven policing.

The Fund, helium noted, was created to enactment the modernisation of the Nigeria Police Force done improved connection systems, surveillance tools, and exigency effect capacity.

It besides aims to heighten accountability, transparency, and collaboration with the backstage assemblage successful addressing information challenges.

Gaidam outlined 10 large objectives of the Trust Fund, including promoting the payment and morale of constabulary personnel, fostering backstage assemblage engagement, improving nationalist safety, and sustaining operations during budgetary shortfalls.

He added that the Fund’s interventions had helped span captious backing gaps successful policing but stressed that sustainable financing was indispensable to consolidate the gains achieved truthful far.

“The 1 per cent allocation from the Federation Account volition supply a fiscal buffer for captious constabulary functions, particularly during budgetary delays oregon constraints,” helium said.

The minister, therefore, urged the Federal Government to o.k. 3 cardinal measures: the repeal and re-enactment of the Nigeria Police Trust Fund Establishment Act, 2025, to region the six-year bounds and marque it a imperishable agency.

“The summation of statutory deduction from 0.5 per cent to 1 per cent of the Federation Account.A directive to the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice to incorporated the approvals into the projected Executive Bill for onward transmission to the National Assembly.”

If approved, the connection would people a large measurement successful institutionalising constabulary betterment and ensuring predictable, semipermanent backing for Nigeria’s interior information operations.

Since its constitution successful 2019, the Nigeria Police Trust Fund has supported grooming programmes, supplied operational vehicles and equipment, and improved the logistics basal of the unit across several states.