Why cops haven’t gotten a raise yet – IGP

Inspector General of Police (IGP) Usman Baba said on Monday that stakeholders involved in the implementation of the salary increase for Force officers were still working on the new salary package and would ensure that it becomes a reality.

Baba also said the increase was the initiative of President Muhammadu Buhari without any request from the police, saying officers are aware that it is misguided to plan any disruption to law enforcement services let alone to run it.

Recall that Police Affairs Minister Muhammad Dingyadi revealed last year that the new salary package for police officers would start by January 2022, but three months later the implementation is still not complete.

But reacting to a media report that Force officers were planning to stage a protest by March 26 to demand an increase in their salaries and allowances, the police chief said no police officer would stoop so low to protest the pay rise because they are aware of the repercussions.

The IGP, in a statement signed on its behalf by the Force’s acting spokesperson, Muyiwa Adejobi, dismissed the report, saying it was an “attempt by unscrupulous individuals to discredit the Force, to misinform the general public and to heat up the political regime”.

He said: “Since that approval, the Wages and Salaries Commission issued an implementation circular, the Honorable Minister of Police Affairs and the IGP have worked with the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) to ensure the cessation of tax deductions as directed by the President and approved by the Federal Executive Council.

According to him, the Nigeria Police is a regulated and disciplined organization with established rules and guidelines to deal with grievances and under no circumstances is a strike one of those means.

The Chief of Police added, “It is pertinent to note that the IGP is accelerating its efforts to ensure the full implementation of the increase in salaries and allowances proposed by the President and approved by the Federal Executive Council.

“It is important to emphasize that this was an initiative of the President without any request from the police to lead the process of increasing salaries and allowances. The federal government is therefore fully committed to the implementation of the new salary package.