Abuja- The Minister of Police Affairs, Alhaji Abduljelili Adesiyan, said that the ministry in spite of current security challenge was making efforts to generate revenue through services provided by the police.
Adesiyan stated this when he declared open a three-day stakeholders’ conference organised by the ministry in Abuja on Tuesday.
The conference centred on “Improving Federal Government Internally General Revenue: Nigeria Police in Focus’’.
He said looking inward for other sources of revenue became imperative now as the price of crude oil, a major source of revenue for government, was going downward at the international market.
The minister listed services provided by the police from, which revenue could be generated for government, as police escort and special duties.
He included: bank guards, arms and ammunition licences, international vehicle certificate and international driving permit fees.
Other sources, he said, were police information fees, registration of firearms, renewal of firearms licences, CID clearance certificates/finger print, auctioneer registration/renewal fees and rent of police quarters.
Adesiyan, therefore, urged the conference to come up with “ways and means of getting full value of the police services in the country through improved internally generated revenue’’.
The Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Dr James Obiegbu, said that the primary responsibilities of the police were the maintenance of law and order, protection of life and property, among others.
“Police services performed within these primary responsibilities are generally for the benefit of the public at large and are provided for from public funds.
“However, in the course of discharging these tasks, requests are often made by corporate organisations and individuals on the Nigeria Police Force to provide them with other essential services.
“All over the world, provision of special services as those by the police usually attract charges,’’ Obiegbu said.
Obiegbu explained that such charges were to discourage members of the public from making indiscriminate demand for the services and to generate revenue for the government. (NAN)
