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Civilian members of staff of the Police Service Commission have called for the immediate resignation of the chairman of the commission, Musilu Smith, as the indefinite strike embarked on by its members enters its second week.
The striking workers, who met in Abuja during the weekend, vowed to pass a vote of no confidence on the commission’s board headed by Smith, a retired Inspector General of Police, over alleged ineptitude.
In a statement made available to The PUNCH by the chairman of the Joint Service Union, PSC chapter, Mr Adoyi Adoyi, the striking workers vowed to launch a massive protest soon if Smith refuses to quit and their demands not met by the Federal Government.
Adoyi said, “We are asking for the immediate resignation of the chairman of the PSC, Mr Smith. Anything short of this would leave us no choice but to use all lawful instruments available to us to vehemently pass a vote of no confidence on the Smith-led Board of the PSC.
“We are demanding for his immediate resignation to pave the way for a competent and law-abiding citizen whose leadership would respect the letters and spirit of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
The workers began an indefinite strike last Monday over an alleged breach of rules of engagement and the continued interference in the statutory roles of the commission by the IG, Usman Baba amongst others.
Adoyi noted that it was very sad that no meaningful engagement had taken place since the strike commenced last week, adding that the workers would not return to work until the federal government addresses all the issues at stake once.
“A nation that has a body such as the PSC should have a better Police Force and a better police-civilian relationship than we have now. In fact, may I state here that as staff members, we accept that the EndSARS protest in October 2020, that almost devastated the country, is a result of the ineptitude of the handlers of the commission to perform optimally,” He said.
The PSC workers lamented that the globally renowned #EndSARS protest which erupted due to assaults, extrajudicial killings and extortion of citizens, was a result of the ineptitude of the leadership of the PSC.
“However, we observe with utmost dissatisfaction that our demands have not been addressed with any seriousness or sincerity and we have equally taken note that our agitations have not been given credence in its entirety; instead, the agitations of the staff members have been summarised into just one topic – police recruitment, thereby whipping up sentiments. It is this same narrative that has been sold to the press and is trending.
“We as staff members of the commission recognise our huge responsibility to shape the Police Force into an organisation that Nigerians would be proud of, hence, we have decided not to fail this great nation, that is the reason we are in this struggle.”
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