The Police Service Commission (PSC) on Friday, September 19, 2025, continued its compulsory promotion examinations for senior police officers, as part of reforms to ensure merit-based career progression in the Nigeria Police Force.
At the Commission’s Corporate Headquarters in Jabi, Abuja, 630 Deputy Superintendents of Police (DSPs) sat for written examinations at the Parry Osayande Auditorium, as they seek promotion to the rank of Superintendent of Police.
Declaring the exercise open, retired Supreme Court Justice Paul Adamu Galumje, who represented the Judiciary on the Commission, charged the officers to embrace continuous learning and professionalism.
DIG Taiwo Lakanu rtd Invigilating
He stressed that the new system of promotion would shape their future, insisting that competence must be the standard for advancement in the Force.
In his remarks, DIG Taiwo Lakanu (rtd), Chairman of the PSC Standing Committee on Police Matters, said the introduction of promotion examinations was both timely and necessary to restore the credibility of the Police.
“There is systemic rot in the Force, and that is why we are not much regarded anymore. Before, the police is the only security agency where there was no promotion examination. We have now decided that if you fail, you fail. We will continue with this process, and it will help the image of the Police in the eyes of the public”, he said.
Lakanu also warned candidates against offering bribes to Commission staff, stressing that any officer caught would be dismissed from the process.
The examinations and interviews are expected to continue next week with officers in the Commissioner’s cadre, ahead of a plenary session of the Commission later in the month.
PSC Chairman, DIG Hashimu Argungu (rtd), assured that the Commission remains committed to making police promotions timely, credible, transparent, and merit-driven.
“Promotions must be earned and justifiable. The promotion examination will give credibility and respect to officers wearing new ranks. The Police of our dream can work with minimal supervision and deliver without undue influence”, Argungu said.
