By Steve Oni, Ilorin
Senator-Elect representing Kwara Central senatorial district at the National Assembly, Dr. Ibrahim Yahaya Oloriegbe, says the Senate has intervened in the issue of the alleged discrete plan by the top police hierarchy to relocate the Nigeria Police Public Relations School project which is already under construction from its Federal Government-approved site at Kulende in Ilorin to Keffi in Nasarawa State.
While reacting to the development, Senator- Elect Oloriegbe told journalists in Ilorin that the Senate Committee on Police Affairs and other concerned groups and individuals have stepped into the matter and are on top of it.
He assured the people of his senatorial district and the state at large as well as other concerned Nigerians that any plan to relocate the project to another state from its present site would not happen even if there were discrete plans to do so.
“My findings confirmed that it will not happen even if there was a plan. The Senate Committee on Police Affairs and others are on top of the matter”, he said, adding that
“I have intervened and it will not happen, In sha Allahu,”
It was initially reported that the police hierarchy in Abula had concluded arrangements to relocate the Nigeria Police Public Relations school in Ilorin to Keffi in Nasarawa state.
Reports from authoritative source even confirmed that some plots of land where the project would be relocated have been acquired by the Nasarawa state Government with the approval of the state governor, Umaru Tanko Al-Makura.
It was also gathered that the state governor in company of the Director General , Nasarawa Geological Information Service (NAGIS)Hon. Sonny Agassi and the Commandant (NSCDC) had embarked on the proposed site where the Nigeria Police Public Relations School will be relocated from its present site in Kulende, Ilorin if the plan eventually works out.
Construction work on the multimillion Naira Project which was flagged off by the immediate past Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris through the AIG (Works), Olalekan Oladipupo had since begun after the contractor for the project had been mobilized.
Investigations further revealed that the new hierarchy of the police under the leadership of the Acting Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar Adamu is planning to relocate the project to Keffi in Nasarawa State, his home country.
This development has generated a lot of controversy in the Ilorin community and the state at large as the people are wondering that how can a project of such magnitude that went through all due processes could overnight be relocated from its original site to another state despite the level of work already carried out on the site.
Investigations also indicated that the project was originally approved by the Presidency and the National Assembly and captured in the 2018 budget of the police which is already backed by law.
In all the memos, Ilorin was the community which was approved where the project should be cited with the name Nigeria Police Public Relations School, Kulende, Ilorin.
A visit to the site of the project in Ilorin showed that work has stopped despite the fact that the contractor has been mobilized while it was reliably gathered that directive to stop the project was from the police headquarters in Abuja
It could be recalled that in mid-2017 the former IGP Ibrahim Idris approved a Committee of Professionals, Senior Police Officers and FPRO then (Ag DCP Jimoh Mashood) to set up the establishment of Nigeria Police Public Relations School for the Nigeria Police Force.
The then IGP and the management team in July, 2017 approved a memo from the FPRO for CP Emmanuel Ojukwu (RTD) to be the Provost of the school
The committee met several times with NIPR (Nigeria Institute of Public Relations) and the school was flagged off at it temporary site at Police Account and Budget Building opposite Force Headquarters on 10th August, 2017.
On the 11th January, 2019 a ground breaking and foundation laying ceremony of the Nigeria Police Public Relations School, Kunlende, Ilorin was performed by the then police boss (represented by AIG WORKS, AIG Olalekan A.F Oladipupo) and the Emir of Ilorin (represented by Balogun Agba of Ilorin who is the Balogun Gambari of Ilorin)
In attendance at the occasion were the then Commissioner of Police, Kwara State, CP Bashir Makama , Provost of the School, CP Emmanuel Ojukwu (RTD) who delivered a keynote address, the National President and Exco of IEDPU, AIG Ojibara (RTD), AIG Baba Adisa Bolanta , Alh Aliyu Oba Ajikobi, Prof Hassan Salihu and many retired senior police officers from Kwara State.
The Nigeria Police Public Relations School, Kunlende, Ilorin was included in the National Appropriation Budget of 2018 submitted by President Muhammadu Buhari to the National Assembly in 2017.
It was passed by the National Assembly and signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari In 2018.
It is equally reliably gathered that the project is in the 2018 and 2019 budgets and have been processed to be rolled over to the 2020 and 2021 estimate.
In 2018 bid was opened by the Nigeria Police Force and contract for the project was awarded and payment made to the Cöntractor.
The contractor continued the project to appreciable level until he was asked by the Police Headquarters to stop work so as to relocate the school to Keffi, Nasarawa State.There is no justification for this ill motive action as most security agencies have their public relations school far away from ABUJA, Capital of Nigeria. For instance Nigerian Army School Of Public Relations is located in Lagos. The location of Police Public Relations School in Ilorin made it central and accessible to all parts of the Country.
Ilorin being a State Capital has an International Airport and other advantages of Two(2) Universities, National Institute of Labour Studies, etc that are of great intellectual benefits to Nigeria Police Public Relations School.
However, concerned Citizens of ilorin and Kwara state have called for the intervention of the President, the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning and Bureau of Public Procurement to intervene in the matter stressing that Natiönal Budget is a law that must not be violated.
Reacting to the development, the Force Public Relations Officer, DCP Frank Mba did not confirm or deny plans to relocate the school, but said “the only thing he has to say is that the project is police project and it is ongoing”.
Leave a Reply