By Linus Aleke, Abuja
The new Chairman of Police Service Commission (PSC), DIG Hashimu Argungu rtd, has officially assumed duty at the Corporate Headquarters of the Commission in Jabi, Abuja with a commitment to drive a deliberate knowledge acquisition programme for the staff.
A statement by Head Press and Public Relations, Ikechukwu Ani, also disclosed that the new Board of the Commission, recently appointed by the President, has DIG Hashimu Argungu rtd as Chairman, DIG Taiwo Lekanu rtd, Member and Onyemuche Nnamani, Secretary, adding that they all assumed duty yesterday.
He noted that the new Board flagged off an innovative programme, code named, “The Arena of Knowledge,” a weekly lecture series for the Staff of the Commission.
In his remarks at the training programme, Argungu said since nobody has monopoly of Knowledge, there was need for the Commission to meet weekly to share knowledge on the different areas of the staff day to day work.
He noted that he has always introduced the “Arena of Knowledge,” in all the places he has worked, adding that the nation’s civil service needs knowledge for improved service delivery.
In a paper, titled, “The Innocent Victim: Wrongful Garnishment Against Police Service Commission,” the new Chairman ordered the Secretary to the Commission, the Director, Legal Services and the Director, Finance and Accounts, to put mechanism in place to find out the remote and immediate causes of the problems confronting the Commission.
He however, examined a pending garnishee proceedings against the Commission in respect of an account with the Central Bank of Nigeria where the training money was lodged.
He also examined the grounds that the judgment creditors have executed wrongful garnishments against the Commission, other than the real judgment debtor.
Argungu traced possible objections which included that the garnishee does not reside within jurisdiction that there was no proper service on the garnishee; that the order nisi is not predicated on a valid and subsisting judgment and that the certified copy of the judgment has not been attached to the application.
The PSC Chairman recommended that the Commission’s legal department should urgently liaise with the Commissioner of Police Legal Services, of the Nigeria Police Force, to trace the civil suits in question with the view to ascertain the genuineness of the claims and also to urgently liaise with the necessary organisations to see the final conclusion against the order absolute.
The Director, Legal Services, Babatunde Dada traced the persisting problem of garnishee proceedings against the Commission to the inability of the Commission to mobilize its lawyers to put up appearances for its cases which normally result to judgment against the Commission.
According to him if cases are effectively attended to and appearances made, then no judgment will be against the Commission.
He disclosed that the Commission’s legal department has entered into public-private partnership (PPP) with private legal firms to handle the cases pro-bono
The Director also recommended the invocation of its disciplinary power on any police officer who is the subject of the litigation and who caused its account to be garnished by implemention of Public Service Rule 030414.
He noted that the Alternative Dispute Resolution should also be adopted since various High Court Rules have made provisions for that.
