IGP Baba expresses worry over number of unsafe Police quarters/barracks
The Inspector General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba, has expressed worry over the number of police living quarters marked as unsafe for human habitation, especially in Lagos State.
He equally stressed the urgency and importance of addressing housing needs for members of the Police Force.
The police boss spoke during the groundbreaking ceremony of the redesign of the official residence of Deputy Inspectors General of Police (D. I.G Quarters), also known as MD Yusuf Quarters Abuja.
Alkali Baba said, “’When I was shown the number of police quarters in Lagos that are branded as ‘unsafe structures’ as a result of the need to redevelop them, I was surprised because the structures are not befitting for even non-security officers, let alone officers of the Police.”
He, however, commended the Federal Executive Council for approving the redesign of the official quarters of Deputy Inspectors General also known as M.D. Yusuf Quarters, Abuja.
The police boss noted that when completed, the project which is designed to improve the living quarters of the Senior Police Officers, would go a long way in providing a conducive environment to enable officers give their best to securing the lives and property of fellow citizens.
According to him, the redesign project which was being carried out under the Public Private Partnership between the Police and Cosgrove Investment Limited, will arrest the long-standing infrastructural decay of structures within the quarters.
Discussing the strategic importance of the project, the IGP explained that the residence is the “highest police quarters nationwide in terms of luxury, serenity and proximity to the Force Headquarters.”
He described it as one of the oldest buildings of the Nigeria Police constructed in Abuja to accommodate its senior officers.
Speaking further on the challenges that necessitated the Redevelopment Project, the IGP who was once a resident recalled his experience while living there.
He said, “I was privileged to live in this estate for two years while I was Force Secretary, and I recall how I suffered as a result of the state of infrastructure. I had to look for bowls and dishes to place where leakages were pouring from.”
The Police boss further recalled that at the time, the Managing Director of the Police Construction company, who is now retired, was a Neighbour.
He said the then Managing Director had to take shelter in his house because everything about the house he occupied had become old, archaic, non-functional, and in need of redevelopment.
IGP Usman Alkali Baba emphasized the need for senior police officers to live in befitting homes, stating that some houses have already been built for junior staff and other ranks in the police through collaboration with other estate developers.
He explained that in order to provide befitting homes for senior officers, the management embarked on a search for a competent and reliable construction company that could transform the M.D. Yusuf Quarters (which accommodates DIGs) into suitable homes for the top brass.
According to the IGP, after careful due diligence and inspection of the finished estates by Cosgrove around the FCT, the management concluded that Cosgrove Investment Limited is the best in providing the top-notch accommodation that is befitting of the DIGs.
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