Recruitment crisis: How Smith was forced to resign as PSC chairman

A former Inspector-General of Police, Musiliu Smith, yesterday resigned as chairman of the Police Service Commission (PSC) following some controversies in the commission.

Telescope.ng gathered that sources told Daily Trust that the PSC Board asked Smith to resign at its meeting on Wednesday and hand it over to retired Justice Clara Ogunbiyi, who represents the judiciary at the commission.

Ogunbiyi will chair the commission in an acting capacity until President Muhammadu Buhari appoints a substantive chairman.

The commission’s spokesman, Ikechukwu Ani, confirmed Smith’s resignation but declined further comments on the matter.

It was earlier reported how activities of the commission had been paralysed since the last few weeks following the indefinite strike by the workers of the commission to press home their demands, including the alleged takeover of the recruitment of 10,000 constables by the police, staff promotion and training by the commission management.

The workers had also alleged mismanagement of funds meant for the permanent office of the commission.

Sources said the meeting also discussed the possibility of amending the PSC Act to remove a section which states that a retired Inspector-General of Police is appointed to chair the commission.

A source reportedly said: ‘’Immediately after the meeting started, one of the commissioners said that the defining characteristic and mission of the commission is that it is a civilian oversight body, external to the Police. This requires the PSC to be independent and impartial. It cannot be either of these if it is headed by a retired former Inspector-General of Police.

‘’This mission is destroyed by appointing a recent or former Inspector-General as chairman of the PSC. After thorough deliberations on these issues, a commissioner advised Smith to step aside, after which another commissioner moved a motion, and he accepted.”

Another source said Smith immediately accepted to step aside, and other meeting agendas were suspended until the new commission management reconvened.

President Buhari, in May 2018, appointed Smith as the chairman of the commission. He succeeded Mike Okiro, also a former Inspector-General of Police.