By Desmond Ejibas
Port Harcourt – President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday inaugurated the Nigeria Police Special Protection Unit (SPU) Base 6, at Omagwa, Rivers, 10 years after construction commenced.
The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) awarded the project in 2012 but the project was later abandoned until intervention by the current administration.
Buhari, represented by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo inaugurated the barracks, consisting of four blocks of 64 one-bedroom apartments, among other facilities for officers of SPU.
“The facility consists of 64 one-bedroom flats, commander’s quarters, office accommodation, centric post, guard room with armoury and parade ground was donated by NDDC.
“The completion of the barracks is part of the ongoing reforms of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) that my administration started in the past months.
“The reform seeks to increase the number of police personnel; re-equipment of personnel gear and hardware and the provision of accommodation for officers and men.
“To this end, I have directed the building of barracks for men and women of the police in collaboration with the social housing efforts of the Family Homes Fund,” he said.
Buhari said the collaboration was to ensure speedy execution of all the projects and barracks that need to be provided for police personnel across the country.
He said that his administration was working with the National Assembly to enact the Police Trust Fund Act, aimed to tackle challenges identified in the funding of the NPF.
According to him, the completion of the SPU base was in-line with the administration’s objectives of improving the lives and livelihoods of police officers and men across the country.
“This project is important as it can alleviate the accommodation challenges of senior security personnel posted to Rivers state, and ultimately enhance the security footprint in the region.
“So, the cumulative impact of this project, among others, will be the improvement of security in the state and consolidation of the economic and social life of people of the area,” he added.
The president commended Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio and NDDC management for their resilience to complete the project in-line with his (Buhari’s) directive.
Receiving the barracks, The Inspector General of Police, Alkali Usman thanked Buhari for his commitment to transforming the NPF to a modern fighting force.
He said the accommodation would boost the morale of SPU personnel and enhance the unit’s operations, urging other organisations to emulate NDDC by supporting the police.
Speaking, Akpabio said the ministry in collaboration with NDDC was fully committed to adhering to President Buhari’s directives of completing abandoned NDDC projects that have a direct impact on the people.
“The SPU base abandoned since 2012 and now completed by President Buhari’s administration is a clear testament of this administration’s commitment to transform the Niger Delta.
“So, every month, we will be commissioning projects abandoned by NDDC. This is because things have changed in the commission.
“This administration is passionately changing things, to ensure that NDDC is no longer seen as a cash cow by some politicians,” he said.
Akpabio thanked President Buhari for committing to the completion of the East West Road project that would commence from Warri-Effurum to Oron, particularly the Eleme stretch of the road.
On his part, Gov. Nyesom Wike of Rivers said the alleged non performance of NDDC should not be only the concern of the Niger Delta and Federal Government alone but the entire country.
He expressed displeasure over the lack of collaboration between the state government and NDDC in the area of project scheduling and execution.
“The state government is worried because we have never had any collaboration with NDDC that has been completed,” he said.
Wike berated NDDC management for their alleged inability to pay its N2.5 billion counterpart fund for the construction of the Eastern By-Pass Road that connects to NDDC new headquarters building.
The governor, however, commended the NDDC Interim Administration for its realisation that government was a continuum and the current management’s efforts to complete all abandoned projects.
Earlier, in his address of welcome, the NDDC Interim Administrator, Dr Efiong Akwa said the barracks was testament to the commission’s commitment to fostering security in the region.
He attributed the successes recorded by NDDC to the support of security agencies, particularly the police, hence the decision to support cops to effectively fight crime and criminality in the region.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Special Protective Unit was set up in 2009 to provide security for high risk individuals in the country as well as contain riots, among others. (NAN)
