It is no longer news that the National Economic Council, NEC, has appointed Enugu State Governor, Dr. Peter Mbah, to chair a new committee to overhaul all institutions for the training of security agencies across Nigeria. The appointment follows NEC's endorsement of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu's proposal for comprehensive reform and security training facilities nationwide. The motion was presented during the 152nd NEC meeting held at the Presidential Villa, Abuja last Thursday.
Other members of the committee include Governor Uba Sani (Kaduna); Dapo Abiodun (Ogun); Kefas Agbu (Taraba); Umo Eno (Akwa Ibom); Dauda Lawal (Zamfara) and Abdullahi Sule (Nasarawa) while former Inspector General of Police Usman Baba will serve as secretary.
Tinubu, while addressing the NEC Council, stressed the urgency of the task, saying: “We must make the conditions of training facilities more conducive to both trainers and trainees.” According to Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani, who briefed the press, the MBH-led committee has just one month to present a detailed blueprint for the renovation and modernization of the police and other security training institutions.
Just days earlier, the President had similarly relieved service chiefs of their duties and appointed new ones, demonstrating a renewed effort to reinvigorate the security of life and property. Therefore, Mbah's new assignment, which comes about a day or two before this major development, no doubt places him at the center of Tinubu's new effort to strengthen Nigeria's internal security architecture through institutional reforms, improved training conditions and enhanced capacity development for security personnel.
There is no doubt that this is a demonstration of the confidence of the NEC in the leadership qualities of Tinubu, Vice President Kashim Shettima and the Governor. But more importantly, it is a confirmation of the huge progress they have made in protecting life and property in less than 29 months. Yet this does not come as a surprise – at least to those who have kept a keen eye on developments in Enugu since Mbah assumed office at the Lion Building, better known as the office of the Enugu State Governor.
For example, on October 4, 2024, Vice President Shettima was in Enugu to commission the Enugu State Garment and Fashion Hub as well as unveil the 5th expanded National Micro, Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (MSME) Clinic. There are collaborative efforts by the Federal Government and Enugu to promote MSMEs in both the states. He also used the opportunity to tour some of the infrastructural projects by the Mbah administration, including the command-and-control security infrastructure built by the governor in just over a year in office. Mbah defected from the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC. But this did not make any difference to the VP. According to him, the time for politics was over and the federal government was ready to work with visionary leaders like Mbah, wherever they could be found, to move the country forward, irrespective of party divisions.
On Mbah's investments in the command-and-control center and the security sector in general, Shettima said, “If I say I was impressed by what I saw in Enugu, that is an understatement. I was overwhelmed by the huge progress recorded by Governor Mbah and his team. They have embraced modernity. They have embraced digital technology. Most of the things I saw were avant-garde. technologies, state-of-the-art security infrastructure. He is performing exceptionally well and deserves to be emulated by other Governors across the length and breadth of this country. He is one of the few CEOs who is versatile in the possibilities of the information technology industry.
A few months later, the President himself was in Enugu on January 4, 2025 to inaugurate some of the breathtaking projects completed by Mbah in one year and six months, including the Command and Control Center and over 150 security vehicles. For reference purposes and to recap, the Enugu Command and Control Centre, considered by many security experts to be the largest and most modern in the country at the moment, is the end point of several fiber optic cables laid across the state and connected to AI-embedded cameras for effective surveillance of Enugu State. The cameras are capable of recognizing faces and number plates. Security vehicles, operated by a special police unit, the Distress Response Squad, DRS. The vehicles are uniformly equipped with AI-enabled cameras. DRS operators wear bodycams while on duty to ensure proper surveillance.
Speaking at the event, Tinubu said, “He (Mbah) is doing a wonderful job. I am glad Enugu got a very good tomorrow today. I salute Peter Mbah for his commitment to development. You have encouraged me on the technological progress of the state. You have a commitment from the private sector. The election is over, and we have to move the country forward. I don't care which party you come from. You are my friend.”
Apart from the President and Vice President, Mbah's progress in security was long ago acknowledged by no less than the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu. This was during the commissioning of the renovated Economic and Financial Crimes Commission South East Zonal Office in Enugu on December 19, 2023 – barely six months after the inauguration of MBH as governor.
Explaining what a difference MBH has brought in such a short period of time, Ribadu declared, “Before this administration came in, police stations were being attacked, law enforcement personnel were being attacked. People were selfishly giving orders. People who are not even in Nigeria will sit somewhere in the comfort of the countries where they live and selfishly giving instructions that people should not go to work; people should not go out in search of their livelihood. Should go and people used to take such orders. But no more; This is not happening now.”
Back to President Tinubu's push for the revival of all institutions for the training of security agencies. It is noteworthy that this was never a whimsical venture but rather a well-thought-out plan flowing towards better security sector infrastructure and manpower, especially the security training institutions, which have been so neglected over the decades that they have fallen into complete disrepair and are a shameful attack on human dignity.
In 2013, Channels TV aired a devastating report on the inhumane conditions of the Police Training College in Ikeja, Lagos. A Punch newspaper report dated April 23, 2016, titled “Decay, filth reign in police training colleges as new recruits prepare for reinstatement” recounts the eye-popping horror captured by Channel TV.
“The documentary shows the sad state of the dormitories, toilets and other vital facilities required to meet the daily needs of the occupants. Some students were seen urinating at the back of the building, where the drainage system was completely broken, while toilets and bathrooms in many hostels were in terrible condition. Power supply within the college was also a major issue. Police College, Ikeja, which initially had only 700 students Was built to accommodate, was placed there. 2,554 people as of January 2013, Punch remembered.
However, things are changing under the Tinubu administration. Earlier this October, the President assent to the Nigeria Police Training Institutes Establishment Bill, 2024, a comprehensive law that provides statutory backing for 48 police training institutes across the country. These include police colleges, police training schools, police tactical schools, police technical training schools and other specialized institutions spread across six geo-political zones.
But police training institutes are merely a symbol of the rot affecting other security agencies. But the good news is that they will soon become a thing of the past, because not only is it a good idea, the charge has been entrusted to a well-selected team headed by Governor Mbah, a man who has not only demonstrated the political will to wage the war against insecurity with demonstrable success, but who has also invested heavily in modern security infrastructure and human capital development in the region. With this, Nigerians can expect nothing but positive results which will change the story not only in the quality of training our security agencies receive but also in the quality of the facilities they are trained in.
Anichukwu is the Senior Special Adviser (SSA) Media to Governor Peter Mbah.
