Joy Anyim
As a way of improving the quality of life of policemen, serving in the Zone 2 Police Command, the Nigeria Police Multipurpose Cooperative Society has distributed 500 tricycles, 500 motorcycles, and soft loans to serving junior officers in the command.
The Assistant Inspector-General of Police, AIG, in charge of the Zone 2 Command, Lawal Shehu, who handed the items to officers at the Officers’ Mess in Ikeja, recently, said the welfare of officers was of utmost importance to the Inspector General of Police, IGP Mohammed Adamu.
Speaking on the reason for the gesture, Shehu said the current economic reality had made it expedient to seek for multiple sources of income to meet the ever-increasing human needs.
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The AIG in his address to officers said: “For the first time, we are witnessing another landmark achievement by our indefatigable IGP Mohammed Adamu, in relations to the welfare of police officers in the country. You can be assured that the police is progressing although the police as an organisation has a lot of challenges, especially in terms of welfare, which is what informed this scheme.
“We know what it entails to get a loan from the bank especially with their high interests rates, which can be more than double before you finish payments of the loan. So the IGP in his magnanimity through cooperative has solved the problem of high-interest rates that would have been faced by police personnel who obtains loan from the banks.
“The police cooperative gives a loan at only 5 per cent interest, without hidden charges whatsoever, once you are a member of the NPF regardless of your rank. The IGP has interests in the welfare of his officers and their family, therefore, has provided a way by which needs can be met aside their monthly salaries.
“We distributed 500 tricycles, 500 motorcycles as well as gave out monetary loans to police officers in Lagos in a bid to augment salaries of the police officers. We know that our men are having challenges especially when it comes to economic empowerment, so the IGP finds it necessary to bring this programme to ameliorate some of the problems the police are facing.”
He noted that the gesture will improve personnel’s devotion to work. “This programme is to boost their morale to make them relevant economically and encourage hard work. It is a continuous programme which our men would find very good and important because it would be sustained.”
The Executive Secretary of Nigeria Police Multipurpose Cooperative Society, CP Dasuki Galadanchi, said the exercise will be replicated in other police zones.
Galadanchi said beneficiaries of the gesture will be given 42 months to pay for the items. “ We have launched similar exercise in Zone 1, Kano, and it is only natural that we choose Zone 2 as the next before going to other zones as directed by the IGP. A settled mind that is able to cover basic domestic necessities will be better positioned to perform optimally well in providing service to humanity.
“The IGP has directed an interest rate of 5 per cent to be paid for 42 months on the loans, while the tricycle was given at N735,00, the motorcycle is given at N283,500. Both to be paid for in 42 months with an interest of 5 per cent only. No compound interest or administrative charges whatsoever within the year of payment.
“If the officers manage the investment well, they will not feel the impact of the loan been given by the cooperative. Another welfare scheme which is not yet out is to have shops where officers can collect food items on credit and money will be deducted from the officer’s salary at the end of the month. The number of food items that can be collected, will depend on the rank of the police officer requesting for the food items.
“To qualify for the cooperative, you must be a policeman that has been saving between N5,000 to N10,000 with the cooperative. However, the IGP has declared that any policeman who is interested in the scheme can start saving right away with the cooperative and immediately start processing and benefit from the loan scheme.”
