The Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, has said that the National Assembly is ready to provide the necessary legislative backing for the review of outdated laws.
According to him, this move will promote police reforms and professionalism.
Akpabio stated this during the Police Service Commission Board Induction/Strategic Management session in Ikot Ekpene on Monday.
The Senate President, who was represented by the Deputy Senate President, Senator Barau Jibrin, called for the introduction of a reward system for outstanding police officers.
He said Nigeria must begin to institutionalise merit, discipline, and integrity over mediocrity, favouritism, and impunity, stressing that reforms in the police require courage that will disrupt the status quo.
He urged the PSC to adopt policies that would make the police protectors instead of predators, and deliver justice instead of judgment.
Akpabio also called for the adaptation of community policing models that emphasise empathy, conflict resolution, and neighbourhood engagement, like those in Japan and Finland.
“Reform requires courageous disruption. In Singapore, police transformation was anchored on stringent recruitment standards, transparency in promotions, and fierce accountability.
“In Nigeria, we must begin to institutionalise merit over mediocrity, discipline over favouritism, and integrity over impunity.
“Regarding performance optimisation, it is time to introduce a reward system that recognises and uplifts those officers who embody the finest ideals of public service.
“The policeman who refuses a bribe may return home empty-handed today, but he must not return without hope—hope that in the end, integrity shall yield a reward far greater than the fleeting spoils of corruption.
We must elevate the culture of commendation above the culture of condemnation.
“Let us develop Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), integrate technology into everyday policing, and ensure that our officers are trained not just to subdue, but to serve. Let data drive deployment, let intelligence drive action, and let results determine the reward.
“We recognise that no reform will endure without legislative partnership. The National Assembly stands ready to review outdated laws, approve essential reforms, and provide the robust oversight needed to ensure a professional, people-oriented police system,” he stated.
Acknowledging that funding deficits, outdated training models, low morale, corruption, and public distrust are some of the challenges facing the Nigerian Police, the Senate President urged the PSC board to leave a legacy for the system that is better than what they inherited.
He stated that their appointment was a call to purpose, a mandate to reform, and a sacred trust to serve, adding that the police force must not be seen as an arm of coercion, but as an engine of trust, justice, and public service.