TheNewsGuru

Tag: PSP

  • Police promotion saga: Reps want IGP, PSC probed

    By Gabriel Okoro – Abuja

    The House of Representatives on Wednesday called for probe on the alleged promotion of police officers by the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris.

    The green chamber also want threat of demotion of the officers by the Police Service Commission be probed into.
    These decisions are sequel to a motion sponsored Mr. Frederick Agbedi (PDP, Bayelsa) during plenary.
    Speaking about the motion, Mr. Agbedi revealed that the police boss has appointed and posted State Commissioners of Police and promoted some officers of the Force without recourse to the General Promotion Guidelines or the Police Service Commission, a development which the Commission frowned at.
    He further revealed that the IGP threatened to review those appointments and demote such officers.
    “Some of the benefiting officers who felt aggrieved by the decision of the Commission have threatened litigation if the said decision to demote them is carried out while those due, but denied promotion are also spoiling for action”, said the lawmaker.
    Mr. Agbedi explained that by virtue of the provision of Section 153(1) and paragraphs 30(a) and (b)of the Third Schedule to the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) the power to appoint, promote, dismiss and dismiss and discipline officers of the Nigeria Police Force (other than the Inspector General of Police) falls within the exclusive purview of the Police Service Commission.
    He added that by virtue of provisions of Section 160(1) of the Constitution, the Police Service Commission is empowered to make rules to regulate its own procedures or confer power and impose duties on any officer or authority for the purpose of discharging its function and in the exercise of the powers, the Police Service Commission, in 2014, approved the General Promotion Guidelines for the promotion of officers.
    The motion was unanimously adopted by members when put to voice vote by Speaker Yakubu Dogara who presided.
    The House Committee on Police Affairs was therefore mandated to investigate and ascertain the propriety of the said appointment and promotions whether they were done in compliance with the provisions of Constitution and the General Promotion Guidelines of the Nigeria Police Force and report findings within eight weeks for further legislative action.

  • Refuse: Visionscape promises cleaner Lagos, partners PSPs

    Visionscape Sanitation Solutions Ltd. on Friday assured Lagos residents that refuse was set to disappear from roads and houses in the state, as stakeholders in the waste collection network had resolved their differences.

    The firm’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr John Irvine, told journalists in Ikeja that the company had entered a new agreement with Private Sector Participants (PSP) for effective waste collection and management.

    “Over the course of the next 18 months, you would find a cleaner, more transparent and a more beneficial waste infrastructure,” he said.

    The CEO said that months of negotiations had ended the clash that erupted among the stakeholders as a result of the introduction of the Cleaner Lagos Initiative (CLI) by the state government.

    “The two key parties, Visionscape Sanitation Solutions and the PSP operators have reached an agreement, borne out of the need to give effective environmental services to the people of Lagos State.

    “Under the new arrangement, the PSP operators now referred to as Waste Collection Operators (WCO), have agreed to resume residential waste collection, where they will bill and service homes across the state, while Visionscape’s primary concern would be infrastructure development.

    “This resolution also became urgent as government and other stakeholders are determined to avoid similar environmental disasters as the Olusosun Dumpsite fire outbreak that occurred a few weeks before,” he said.

    Irvine said a 10-year process was being fast tracked and compressed into a three-year period under a new arrangement.

    The arrangement, he said, would help Visionscape focus on providing the needed infrastructure for the entire refuse management process to run on.

    Irvine appealed to residents of Dopemu and other areas where refuse had accumulated to be patient.

    He said the distribution of refuse bags and refuse collection would capture them from next week.

    Irvine said that under the new partnership, Visionscape had paid some PSP operators upfront to aid the effective collection of residential waste.

    According to him, the CWOs are being paid N250,000.00 upfront to aid their collection of refuse, while Visionscape focuses on solid waste management in its landfills, transfer loading stations and depots.

    He said that the firm would continue to support all partners with equipment and capacity to upgrade refuse collection methods.

    The CEO said that the firm was ready to purchase vehicles and other modern equipment that meet 21st century refuse management techniques for the CWOs.

    “If you have to look at New York City in the late 70s and 80s, there was more trash on the streets of New York than what you have here in Lagos. Reform takes time,” he said.

    Irvine said the firm had made huge investments developing infrastructure in its transfer loading stations in Tapa, Ogudu, Agege and Oshodi.