Plans To Relocate Nigeria Police Public Relations College From Ilorin to Keffi Uncovered

By Kayode Olarewaju

An underground plan to relocate the Nigeria Police Public Relations School, located at Kulende in Ilorin the Kwara state capital has been uncovered.

Construction work on the multimillion Naira Project which was flagged off by the immediate past Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris through the AIG  (Works), Olalekan Oladipupo had since begun after the contractor for the project had been mobilized.

Investigation revealed that the new hierarchy of the police under the leadership of the Police, Acting Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Abubakar Adamu is planning to relocate the project to Keffi in Nasarawa State, his home country.

This development has generated lot of controversy in the Ilorin community as the people are wondering that how can a project of such magnitude that went through all due processes  could overnight be relocated from its original site to another state despite the level of work already carried out on the site.

Investigation also indicated that the project was originally approved by the Presidency and the National Assembly and captured in the 2018 budget of the police.

In all the memos, Ilorin was the community which was approved where the project should  be cited with the name Nigeria Police Public Relations School ,Kulende,  Ilorin.

A visit to the site of the project by Solacebase showed that work has stopped despite the fact that the contractor has been mobilized while it was reliably gathered that directive to stop the project was from the police headquarters in Abuja.

Solacebase recalled that in mid-2017 the former IGP Ibrahim Idris approved a Committee of Professionals, Senior Police Officers and FPRO then (Ag DCP Jimoh Mashood) to set up the establishment of Nigeria Police Public Relations School for the Nigeria Police Force.

The then  IGP and the management team in July, 2017 approved a memo from the FPRO for CP Emmanuel Ojukwu (RTD) to be the provost of the school

The committee met severally with NIPR (Nigeria Institute of Public Relations) and the school was flagged off at it temporary site at Police Account and Budget Building opposite Force Headquarters on 10th August, 2017

The Nigeria Police Public Relations School, Kunlende, Ilorin was included in the  National Appropriation Budget of 2018 submitted by President Muhammadu Buhari to the National Assembly in 2017.

It was passed by the National Assembly and signed into law by  President Muhammadu Buhari In 2018.

It is equally reliably gathered that the project is in the 2018 and 2019 budgets and have been processed to be rolled over to the 2020 and 2021 estimate.

In 2018 bid was open by the Nigeria Police Force and contract for the project was awarded and payment made to the Cöntractor

On the 11th January, 2019 a ground breaking and foundation laying ceremony of the Nigeria Police Public Relations School, Kunlende, Ilorin was performed by the then police boss (represented by AIG WORKS, AIG Olalekan A.F Oladipupo) and the Emir of Ilorin (represented by Balogun Agba of Ilorin who is the Balogun Gambari of Ilorin)

In attendance at the occasion were the then Commissioner of Police, Kwara State, CP Bashir Makama , Provost of the School, CP Emmanuel Ojukwu (RTD) who delivered a keynote address, the National President and Exco of IEDPU, AIG Ojibara (RTD), AIG Baba Adisa Bolanta , Alh Aliyu Oba Ajikobi, Prof Hassan Salihu and many retired senior police officers from Kwara State.

The contractor continued the project to appreciable level until asked  by the Police Headquarters to stop work so as to relocate the school to Keffi, Nasarawa State

There is no justification for this ill motived action as most  security agencies have their public relations school far away from ABUJA, Capital of Nigeria. For instance Nigerian Army School Of Public Relations is located in Lagos

The location of Police Public Relations School in Ilorin made it central and accessible to all parts of the Country.

Ilorin being a State Capital has an International Airport and other advantages of Two(2) Universities, National Institute of Labour Studies, etc that are of great intellectual benefits to Nigeria Police Public Relations School.

However  concerned Citizens of ilorin and Kwara state called for the intervention of the President , the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning and Bureau of Public Procurement to intervene in the matter stressing that  Natiönal Budget is a law that must not be violated.

Solacebase contacted the Force Public Relations Officer, DCP Frank Mba for reaction on the issue, but his phone was not picked neither did he replied text message sent to him.