The South West Youth Alliance has lambasted self-acclaimed activist and former failed presidential candidate Omoyele Sowore ,over his recent mischievous statement on the person of the Inspector General of Police, IGP Egbetokun.
Reacting to an interview on a video released by Symfoni on their official YouTube channel, where Sowore questioned the competence of the police leadership, the Publicity Secretary of the South West Youth Alliance, Adenike Ajanlekoko, said that it is ridiculous for a former failed presidential candidate, Omoyele Sowore, to describe the recent reforms in the Nigeria Police under IGP Egbetokun as “laughable” and “superficial.”
“The constraints to the effective functioning of the Nigeria Police include the limitations imposed by finances, necessitating a more realistic allocation of between 5 and 10 percent of the national budget to policing annually, and the paucity of welfare provisioning, Ajanlekoko said.
She further said that the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun, has been vocal and proactive in advocating for improved welfare benefits and resources for the Nigeria Police Force since assuming office in June 2023.
“His focus on addressing longstanding challenges such as inadequate funding, poor working conditions, and insufficient manpower, aimed at enhancing the force’s operational efficiency and morale, is highly crucial.
“Egbetokun has consistently called for increased budgetary allocations to address the NPF’s resource deficits. In January, while defending the 2025 budget before the National Assembly’s Joint Committees on Police Affairs, he proposed removing the NPF from the restrictive envelope budgetary system.
“He argued that this would allow for better funding projections and operational flexibility while suggesting the creation of a Special Operations Account for national security emergencies, alongside boosting allocations for overheads and capital expenditures. This, to him, would enable the needed financial support to meet public expectations, Ajanlekoko emphasised.
She said that the IGP has also stressed that a well-motivated workforce is crucial to effective policing. In November 2023, he told the House of Representatives that he inherited a “battered” force suffering from neglect, particularly in terms of its welfare.
“Hence, he advocated for police pension reforms through a review that would enhance the pension of retired officers and the launch of a police housing scheme to provide affordable homes for officers across all ranks.
“He also drew up a plan to redevelop deteriorating police barracks across the country in November 2024.
“The IGP has overseen the distribution of welfare funds, including over N5.75 billion in insurance cheques to 2,148 beneficiaries and next of kin of deceased officers in September 2024 (which is the largest single disbursement to date) and earlier, N2.86 billion to 785 families in January 2024, under the IGP Family Welfare Scheme.
“On the level of manpower expansion, in November 2023, IGP Egbetokun secured the approval of President Bola Tinubu for yearly recruitments into the Nigeria Police as a way of addressing staff shortages, especially given the situation in which the country remains far below the 1:400 police-to-citizen ratio recommended by the United Nations.
“This is to take the staff strength from about 371,800 to 650,000 personnel as a way of alleviating operational strains through the improvement of coverage.
She states, “With the above-mentioned, among others, the Inspector General of Police, IGP Kayode Egbetokun, has demonstrated that he is not only a reform-minded police officer but also a determined and visionary police chief.
“His insistence on transparency, professionalism, and accountability as the pillars of policing in Nigeria is a strong statement that the Nigeria Police Force is undergoing genuine transformation.
“Egbetokun’s advocacy essentially seeks to concretise the vision of a professional, service-driven force, which are areas where he needs to continue pressing for progress, the statement concluded.
