As part of its preparations for the 2023 general election, the Nigeria Police has kick-started a nationwide training of its officers and men on election security management through a workshop in collaboration with experts and other security agencies.
Inspector-General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba, said the training is targeted and specialized efforts to enhance the capacity of its officers to meet the force’s obligations in the national, inter-agency quest of ensuring a fair, peaceful, secure, and credible electoral process next year.
The IGP further reiterated that five key outcomes are expected after the training namely; Robust inter-agency collaboration towards effective security governance during the 2023 General Elections and in other future joint electoral security operations; Enhanced knowledge of security agents on election security management, drawing on global best practices; Development of an ‘Election Security Management Protocol’ that will act as the standard security management template for future elections at all levels in Nigeria. It is anticipated that the document will act as a credible reference document for all security agencies and other strategic stakeholders within the electoral system in Nigeria; Appreciation of peculiar election security threats and specific approaches towards managing them at various stages of the electoral process and Knowledge of current pattern and trend of crimes and internal security threats, and pathways to mitigating them and stabilizing the security order ahead of the 2023 General Elections
The training forms part of the IG’s reform and upgrades agenda to strengthen and build the capacity of the Police, particularly as the country heads into an important election year during which incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari will hand over power to a newly-elected leader following his completion of the constitutionally-permitted eight-year term.
As part of efforts to ensure the sustainability of the gains of this initiative, the IGP said that plan to develop all the Workshop Presentations into a publication that will be launched in due course.
“When published, it will serve as a credible, professional, and academic reference book on election security in Nigeria.
“We have also resolved to incorporate Election Security Management modules into the Training Curriculum of the Nigeria Police Force for purpose of entrenching it into our professional training structure, the IGP said.
He further said discussion is ongoing with some Civil Society Organisations and Development Partners, particularly, the Embassy of the United States of America towards partnering with them in supporting the knowledge transfer phase of this Workshop at the State Command level.
According to IGP, the training is held across the six geopolitical zones with 400 Officers selected to participate who will, in turn, train their subordinates, to raise policing quality and election management across the country.
Present at the training opening ceremony is the National Security Adviser, Major General Babagana Monguno, Chief of Defence Staff General Irabor, diplomats, Chief of army staff Lieutenant General Faruk Yahaya, Chief of naval staff Vice admiral Auwal Gambo, Chief of Air Marshall Alao, representatives of political parties, Non-Governmental Organizations, chairman Independent National Electoral Commission, US Ambassador to Nigeria, Ambassador Mary Beth Leonard among other delegates.
