The Nigeria Police Thursday concluded a two-day Executive Training Programme for Commissioners of Police with the formal induction of participating officers into the Institute of Conflict Management and Negotiation Analysts (ICMNA) as Certified Conflict Management and Negotiation Professionals.
Blueprint reports that workshop themed “Enhancing Strategic Communication and Media Relations” was for Commissioners of Police (CPs) drawn from commands nationwide.
Speaking at the induction ceremony, the Deputy Inspector-General of Police in charge of the Department of Training and Development, DIG Isyaku Mohammed, who represented the President and Governing Council of ICMNA, described the event as a major step towards promoting professionalism, ethical leadership and effective conflict management within the Nigeria Police Force.
DIG Mohammed stated that the induction was not merely the conferment of a professional title but an affirmation of the officers’ commitment to ethical leadership, constructive dialogue and professional excellence.
He urged the newly inducted members to uphold the institute’s constitution, code of ethics and professional standards while promoting peaceful conflict resolution, accountability, integrity and responsible leadership in the discharge of their duties.
Following the administration of the institute’s oath of allegiance, the Commissioners of Police were formally admitted into the Institute as Certified Conflict Management and Negotiation Professionals.
Speaking with journalists after the induction, he said the senior officers that attended the course have been equipped to solve problems.
“I want you to know that the senior officers that attended this course have been in this business for decades.
“They have negotiating and settling conflict . So today we are just formalising and inducting them into a formal setup.
“Certainly, a course like this will improve the capacity of commissioners of police. And I am sure they were not the way they were when they started this course.
“They have learnt more strategies on how to handle negotiations.Their knowledge have also been streamlined to solve problems,” he said.
Also speaking, the Ebonyi State Commissioner of Police, CP Hope Urunwa Okafor, thanked the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Olatunji Rilwan Disu for organising the workshop, saying it has exposed participants to more effective communication strategy.
“I have also learnt that we don’t have to also just talk to the press, we must engage with the public who we are serving.
“It has been a wonderful period, it has been a wonderful time. I am going to cascade this once I get back to the state,” she said.
On his part, Commissioner of Police, Kogi State Command, CP Naziru Bello Kankarofi, described the workshop as timely and apt.
“Looking at the rich curriculum and the presenters of the course, there is no doubt in my mind and anybody who witnessed the training that the police have opened a new chapter in placing commissioners of police and other strategic officers in a position where they can handle crisis communication,” he said.
Meanwhile, declaring the workshop open earlier,
IGP Disu commended police officers nationwide for their daily dedication and successes, noting that media engagement has not traditionally featured in the career path of many officers ahead of their elevation to CP, a gap the workshop is specifically designed to close.
He told the gathering that the office of a CP extends far beyond its outward prestige, stressing that CPs are, first and foremost, managers who must lead from the front.
The IGP charged the CPs to dominate the media space, describing internal security as the NPF’s core mandate.