By Hosea Parah, Abuja

The Police Service Commission (PSC) has a new leadership team in place, headed by retired DIG Hashimu Argungu. The newly appointed Chairman, along with his team, assumed their duties on Thursday, July 4th, 2024, at the Commission’s Corporate Headquarters in Jabi, Abuja.

The new leadership is focused on fostering a culture of continuous learning and knowledge acquisition among the Commission’s staff. To kickstart this initiative, the Board launched an innovative program called “The Arena of Knowledge.” This weekly lecture series aims to provide staff members with valuable insights and information related to their day-to-day work.

Chairman DIG Argungu emphasized the importance of knowledge sharing, stating that no one has a monopoly on knowledge. He believes that by meeting weekly to exchange knowledge on various aspects of their work, the Commission’s staff can enhance their service delivery to the nation.

During the inaugural lecture, Chairman Argungu and Bar. Babatunde Dada, the Director of Legal Services, presented papers on the topic of “The Innocent Victim: Wrongful Garnishment Against the Police Service Commission.” The session examined a pending garnishee proceeding against the Commission, focusing on the grounds for executing wrongful garnishments and possible objections.

Chairman Argungu recommended that the Commission’s legal department collaborate with the Commissioner of Police Legal Services and relevant organizations to investigate the claims made against the Commission. He also urged the Secretary to the Commission, the Director of Legal Services, and the Director of Finance and Accounts to identify the root causes of these problems and implement necessary measures to address them.

Bar. Dada, in his presentation, highlighted the persistent issue of garnishee proceedings against the Commission. He attributed the problem to the Commission’s inability to mobilize its lawyers effectively, resulting in judgments being passed against them. To address this, he suggested an inter-agency cooperation involving the Commission, the Central Bank of Nigeria, and the Attorney General of the Federation to discuss and resolve the debt issue. Bar. Dada also proposed the deployment of recently called-to-bar Corps Members from the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) to the Commission’s Legal Department.

The next lecture in the Arena of Knowledge series is scheduled for Wednesday, July 27th, 2024, and will focus on the leakage of classified documents/information and its consequences. This will be followed by a lecture on cybercrime since 2015 a week later.

The PSC is optimistic that the Arena of Knowledge program, along with other initiatives, will enhance the knowledge and skills of its staff, ultimately leading to improved service delivery to the nation.