The National Economic Council (NEC) Committee on Revamping Police and Security Training Institutions has uncovered the poor state of facilities at Nigeria’s police training schools during an inspection visit on Thursday.
Led by the Governor of Enugu State and Committee Chairman, Dr. Peter Mbah, the team visited the Police Training Schools in Nonwa, Rivers State, and Oji River, Enugu State.
Mbah said the condition of the institutions reflected years of neglect and underscored the urgency of reforms approved by President Bola Tinubu.
“We cannot demand integrity and excellence from our security agents without first instilling those values in their training institutions,” he said.
He described the initiative as reflecting the president’s “passion for getting things done—and getting them done fast.”
Highlighting the poor state of the institutions, the Commandant of the Police Training School Nonwa, ACP Daniel Okere, noted the challenges faced in training officers under such conditions.
Mbah assured that the committee would oversee a comprehensive overhaul to bring the facilities up to modern, 21st-century standards.
“This committee was born out of the president’s recognition that we are at a security crossroads. Nothing short of a complete and urgent overhaul is needed to secure our future,” he said.
He recalled President Tinubu’s approval to recruit 30,000 new police personnel, stressing that effective training was crucial for their success.
Lamenting decades of neglect that have led to institutional decay, Mbah lauded the president’s emergency intervention.
“This is a national mission to restore the integrity, confidence, and professionalism of those who protect our communities,” he said, adding that the first phase of the revamp will last one month and include renovation, reconstruction, and re-equipping.
Supporting Mbah’s statements, committee member Prince Dapo Abiodun said, “We cannot incubate policemen in poor environments and expect them to behave professionally. We must instill these values from the start.”
Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara, who hosted the committee, expressed confidence in the project’s success.
“At the end of the day, the police will be motivated to act professionally like any other police force in the world,” he said.
The committee’s visit marks a crucial step in a broader effort to upgrade Nigeria’s security training infrastructure and address the poor conditions currently facing police trainees.
