TINUBU APPROVES 959 NATIONAL HONOURS, OKAYS MAJOR REFORMS TO STRENGTHEN NIGERIA POLICE TRUST FUND

— President Chairs Marathon Sessions of National Council of State and Police Council at Aso Rock

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Thursday approved the conferment of 959 national honours and endorsed sweeping reforms aimed at strengthening the funding and institutional framework of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF).

Reports understand that the approvals were made during marathon meetings of the National Council of State and the Nigeria Police Council held at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, where the President presided over back-to-back sessions focused on national recognition and security sector reform.

Briefing State House correspondents after the high-level meetings, Permanent Secretary of the Cabinet Affairs Office, Emanso Umobong, disclosed that President Tinubu had endorsed the report of the National Honours Award Committee covering 2024 and 2025, including several special awards already conferred earlier in the year.

“The award of titles of honour and decorations of dignitaries is a yearly event at which the President honours deserving nationals and non-nationals who have distinguished themselves in the service of the nation and humanity,” Umobong stated.

She explained that the committee, chaired by Justice Sidi Bage, screened over 5,000 applications before recommending 824 recipients for national honours and 135 special awardees, bringing the total number of honourees to 959.

According to Umobong, the President had, over the past year, bestowed honours on notable personalities and institutions, including:

1. Bill Gates, for contributions to public health and human development;

2. Uncle Sam Pemu, for excellence in journalism and media advancement;

3. The Super Falcons and D’Tigress, for their exceptional representation of Nigeria in international sporting events;

4. The Ogoni Nine and Ogoni Four, posthumously recognised for their environmental activism and sacrifices; and

5. Professor Mahmood Yakubu, outgoing Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), honoured for his decade-long service to Nigeria’s democratic process.

She confirmed that an updated and comprehensive list of the 2024–2025 national awardees would be officially published in the coming days.

In a related development, President Tinubu also approved far-reaching reforms to overhaul the Nigeria Police Trust Fund (NPTF) during the Nigeria Police Council meeting.

Minister of Police Affairs, Ibrahim Geidam, in his first official briefing since assuming office in August 2023, announced that the Council had resolved to repeal and re-enact the 2019 Police Trust Fund Establishment Act, effectively removing the six-year sunset clause that had constrained the fund’s long-term operations.

“The sunset clause of six years in the current Act limits the lifespan of the Nigerian Police Trust Fund and impedes long-term planning, thereby constraining sustainable police reform,” Geidam explained.

To ensure better funding and sustainability, the Council also approved an upward review of the Police Trust Fund allocation from 0.5% to 1% of the Federation Account, doubling the fund’s access to resources for police training, welfare, technology, and logistics support.

The Minister further revealed that the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice had been directed to incorporate all resolutions and approvals into a proposed Executive Bill for onward transmission to the National Assembly.

“All these prayers have been approved without any omission. The Council also directed that the Honourable Attorney-General and Minister of Justice input all the approvals of the Council in the proposed Executive Bill,” Geidam affirmed.

BACKGROUND AND SIGNIFICANCE:

Established in 2019, the Nigeria Police Trust Fund was designed to bridge funding gaps in policing, particularly in areas of training, welfare, equipment, and infrastructure. However, its limited tenure and restricted budgetary framework have hindered its full effectiveness.

With Tinubu’s approval, the new reforms are expected to usher in a sustainable, transparent, and performance-driven funding system for the Nigeria Police Force, aligning with the administration’s broader security and institutional reform agenda.

The twin approvals of the 959 national honours and the Police Trust Fund reforms reaffirm President Tinubu’s commitment to rewarding national excellence while simultaneously strengthening critical institutions for effective governance and security delivery in Nigeria.