April 7 has been declared as National Police Day by President Bola Tinubu.
Vice President Kashim Shettima, on behalf of Tinubu, said this on Monday night at the first Nigeria Police Awards and Commendations ceremony, which took place at the Transcorp Hilton in Abuja.
He stated that the foundation of his administration’s continuous efforts to modernise, professionalise, and hold police personnel responsible is a total reorganisation of the institutional mindset and memory of police officers.
He said that since taking office in 2023, his administration had implemented extensive changes to revitalise the country’s military.
As a result, he emphasised how important it is to give both male and female members of the force training and capacity-building so they may be prepared to handle the challenging work of modern police.
Also, he revealed that the first week of April had been authorised by the federal government to be designated as police week, and the last day of the week as National Police Day.
According to him:
“Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, in our tradition of honouring the Police Force in the life of this great nation, we have approved the adoption of the first week of April as Police Week.
“Furthermore, the last day of the week, April 7th, is hereby declared National Police Day in Nigeria.
“Tonight, I must remind you that we don’t see you as just the shields of the nation, we don’t see you as robots.
“This is why we are here; we are here to humanise you.
“At a time in Nigeria’s history, when the nation’s security architecture is being stretched beyond elastic limits, the citizens have been able to endure in the face of security threats as well as attacks on their lives and livelihoods due to the commitment of the police.
“Your exemplary valour doesn’t only represent the pinnacle of patriotism that binds us but also instils confidence that brighter days lie just beyond the horizon.”
cc: Vanguard Ng
