Police cadets

Less than three hours to the 1 April deadline to flag off the recruitment process into the Nigerian police, it appears the Police Service Commission is up to some pranks. It is not just ready.

Last week in a well publicised event, Sir Mike Okiro unveiled ‘an online portal’, where interested men and women will get free forms to apply for the three cadres that will make up the 10,000 vacancies as directed by President Muhammadu Buhari last year.

He said  the portal will only be available from 1 April. It may well be April Fools Day as the forms are not available yet.

Visits to both both the commission’s and the NPF  websites,www.psc.gov.ng and  www.npf.gov.ng. where Okiro said the portal will be accessed ended up a disappointment.

Instead of a link to the forms, the visitor is told to watch out for newspaper advertisements. Here is the full message on the  two sites:

“POLICE SERVICE COMMISSION: This is the only acceptable medium to submit your application for recruitment into the Nigeria Police Force.

We have not started receiving applications! We shall advertise in National Dailies.”

In a statement  last week, PSC’s Head of Press and Public Relations Ikechukwu Ani said the recruitment process online is free for intending officers.

There had been no recruitment into the Police for over five years due to financial constraint, Okiro had said.

On whether a fee would be paid for the forms, Okiro said: “We are not charging money; it is free, absolutely free and the portal has been structured in a way that there will be no short cut. So, everybody must go through due process”.

The statement added: “The commission will be recruiting candidates into the three entry points of the Nigeria Police Force which are Constable, Cadet Inspector and Cadet Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP). There will also be recruitment into the Specialist cadre.”