The Police Service Commission has announced the commencement of a nationwide recruitment exercise for 50,000 Constables into the Nigeria Police Force, as part of a major initiative to strengthen community policing and enhance internal security across the country.

In a public announcement issued on Monday, the Sokoto State Police Command disclosed that the online application portal opened today, December 15, 2025, in line with a Presidential directive aimed at expanding the manpower base of the Force.

The recruitment exercise, the Commission stressed, is entirely free of charge, and applicants are advised to avoid unauthorised individuals or websites.

According to the statement, prospective candidates must be Nigerian citizens by birth, possess a valid National Identification Number (NIN), and be medically, physically and psychologically fit.

“Applicants must also be free from any criminal conviction or financial embarrassment and meet all other requirements outlined on the official recruitment portal.

“The recruitment covers two cadres: General Duty and Specialists. For the General Duty cadre, applicants must be between 18 and 25 years, possess a minimum of five credits in WAEC, SSCE or NECO (in not more than two sittings), including English Language and Mathematics, and meet the required height of 1.67 metres for males and 1.64 metres for females.

“Specialists, on the other hand, must be between 18 and 28 years, have at least four relevant credits, and possess recognised qualifications or trade test certificates with a minimum of three years’ practical experience in fields such as medical services, ICT, engineering, driving and motor mechanics,” the statement said.

The PSC noted that the application portal will remain open for six weeks, closing at 11:59 pm on Sunday, January 25, 2026. Interested and qualified candidates are to apply exclusively through the official portal at npfapplication.psc.gov.ng, as multiple applications or attempts to influence the process will result in immediate disqualification.

The Sokoto State Police Command urged eligible Nigerians to take advantage of the opportunity to serve the nation and contribute to improved security, assuring that the recruitment process will be transparent and merit-based.

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The Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, has said that Nigeria’s borders are now better protected, attributing the progress to President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to strengthening national security.

Tunji-Ojo spoke on Sunday in Lagos at the Theatre Arts and Motion Picture Practitioners Association of Nigeria Professional and Empowerment Summit 2025.

At the summit, themed “The Right Man in Governance: Advancing Mr President’s Renewed Hope Agenda,” the minister was honoured as TAMPAN Man of the Year in recognition of his performance in office.

The minister, who was represented by a former Ondo State Commissioner, Dayo Awude, said the Ministry of Interior had recorded significant improvements under the Tinubu administration in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda.

He listed prison reforms, strengthened border security architecture, the installation of e-gates at major airports, and innovations in passport administration as key milestones.

According to him, the ministry has also cleared about 200,000 passport application backlogs, a development he described as a major boost to public confidence in service delivery.

“I just cited the issue of passports as an example. That is how we all can see, we all can feel. The Honourable Minister has done much more than that.

“Today, if you go to our airport in Lagos, the MM2, we have the e-gates. If you go to Abuja, we have the e-gates. You don’t have to have any contact with any immigration officer harassing you and asking you questions unnecessarily.

“As long as you’re a citizen and you have your passport, just scan it, then you go. I think that is the way to go. Of course, our borders are better protected today.

“The correctional facilities are better than before. He has done well in every sector,” he said.

Responding to questions on the clearance of the 200,000 passports, he said the challenge was inherited from the previous administration but had to be tackled because “it ought not to be.”

“Well, it was the previous administration, definitely. I think somebody then did not do his job, or could not do his job, or did not have what was required to do that job.

“And when the young man came, he was able to demonstrate that, no, we can get this done. And he did it,” he said.

The minister, while responding to the honour, described members of TAMPAN as the “conscience of the nation” and charged them to be more creative and original in their profession.

Earlier, in his welcome address, the Global President of TAMPAN, Bolaji Amusan, commended Tunji-Ojo for bringing clarity, innovation and renewed purpose to the ministry.

Amusan, popularly known as Mr Latin, noted that the minister’s reforms had helped to restore public confidence in services that directly affect millions of Nigerians at home and abroad.

According to him, beyond institutional reforms, the minister had shown uncommon courage and accountability in leadership by insisting on standards and placing national interest above convenience.

He added that Tunji-Ojo’s performance aligns clearly with Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, describing it as a practical demonstration of how effective leadership can strengthen institutions and deliver sustainable outcomes.

Amusan also noted that the creative industry is not only an economic driver but a powerful tool for social reorientation, value projection and national unity, positioning it as a strategic partner in governance and nation-building.

He further clarified that the recognition associated with the summit was neither commercial nor routine, but a rare honour reserved for individuals whose leadership has made a lasting national impact.

The TAMPAN president urged members of the association and stakeholders in the creative sector to embrace professionalism, unity and higher standards, while aligning their creative output with national purpose.

Some highlights of the event included a drama performance by the national troupe of TAMPAN and a colourful parade by members of the association’s state branches.

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The President of the Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, on Sunday alleged that the Chief Executive of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority, Farouk Ahmed, paid about $5m for the secondary school education of his four children in Switzerland, calling for a full investigation and public explanation.

Dangote said Ahmed must appear before the Code of Conduct Tribunal to explain to Nigerians how he was allegedly able to raise $5m for his children’s school fees, accusing him of economic sabotage.

Our correspondent reports that the NMDPRA dismissed a similar allegation when a group protested and alleged in July that Ahmed spent over $5.5m on the foreign education of his four children, insisting that the amount was grossly inconsistent with the earnings of a public official.

Reacting in July, the NMDPRA debunked all the allegations, describing them as an orchestrated smear campaign based on false allegations against Ahmed and its leadership.

Revisiting the allegation during a press briefing at the Dangote Petroleum Refinery in Lekki, Lagos, Dangote spoke extensively on what he described as regulatory failures and alleged corruption in the downstream petroleum sector.

While stressing that he was conveying issues brought to his attention, Dangote insisted that the allegation, if left unanswered, would continue to undermine public trust and investor confidence.

He said, “I’ve actually had people making complaints about a regulator who has actually put his children in secondary school.

“And that secondary school education, which is six years, four of them cost Nigeria $5m. I mean, you cannot imagine somebody paying $5m for educating four children.”

Dangote said the alleged spending was difficult to reconcile with earnings from public service, adding that such a situation would ordinarily attract scrutiny from tax authorities.

“When you look at his income, his income does not match paying this kind of fee. And even if it’s me paying $5m for six years for my four children, the taxman has to look at my taxes and how much I pay,” he stated.

The billionaire businessman said he was particularly troubled by the contrast between the alleged expenditure and the hardship faced by ordinary Nigerians.

“From Sokoto, where he comes from, people are struggling to pay N100,000 for school fees. A lot of children are at home, not going to school, because of N100,000. I cannot understand why somebody who has worked all his life in government, and he has four children whose school fees he has paid $5m for,” he added.

Dangote emphasised that his own children did not attend secondary schools abroad, saying, “Even my own children, they didn’t go to those schools. My children went to a Nigerian secondary school. They didn’t go outside Nigeria to attend secondary school.

“I am not calling for his removal, but for a proper investigation. He should be required to account for his actions and demonstrate that he has not compromised his position to the detriment of Nigerians. What is happening amounts to economic sabotage.

“The Code of Conduct Bureau, or any other body deemed appropriate by the government, can investigate the matter. If he denies it, I will not only publish what he paid as tuition in those secondary schools, but I will also take legal steps to compel the schools to disclose the payments made by Farouk.”

He described the downstream petroleum sector as being under severe strain, alleging the presence of entrenched interests that profit from fuel imports at the expense of national development.

“There are powerful interests in the oil sector. It is troubling that African countries continue to import refined products despite long-standing calls for value addition and domestic refining. The volume of imports being allowed into the country is unethical and does a disservice to Nigeria,” he added.

Dangote stressed the need for a clear separation between regulatory oversight and commercial interests, warning that allowing traders to influence regulation would undermine the integrity of the sector.

“The downstream sector must not be destroyed by personal interests. A trader should never be a regulator. 47 licences have been issued, yet no new refineries are being built because the environment is not conducive,” he said.

He maintained that Nigerians would ultimately benefit from local refining, even as fuel importers incur losses. Dangote said he would not relent in ensuring that Nigerians enjoy the benefits of domestic refining, noting that the company was working around the clock to ensure that recent reductions in the gantry price were fully reflected at the retail level.

When contacted for his reaction, the NMDPRA spokesman, George Ene-Ita, said, “For now, no comment.”