Buhari appoints former IGP, Smith, head of Police Service Commission

By Jide Adeboye

President Muhammadu Buhari has appointed former Inspector General of Police, Musiliu Smith as chairman of the Police Service Commission(PSC). Smith replaces Mike Okiro another former IGP whose five-year tenure has elapsed.

President Buhari in a letter read by Dr. Bukola Saraki, President of Senate during plenary, asked the Senate to approve the appoint of Smith as PSC boss. The names of six other members of the commission were also in cluded in the letter.

Smith, 74 was Inspector General of Police from 1999 to March 2002 when he was asked by President Olusegun Obasanjo to retire following a strike by Policemen.

He attended the University of Lagos where he obtained a B.Sc in Sociology in 1970. He joined the Police in 1972 and held various positions including Instructor, Police College, Ikeja, Lagos, Divisional Police Officer in Mubi, Adamawa State and head, X-Squad at CID Alagbon Close, Ikoyi, From 1980 to 1982.

From Lagos he moved to Ilorin where he held various offices including Administrative Officer, Kwara State Police Command. He was posted to Rivers State in 1987 as head of the Police College. The followingg year he was promoted Commissioner of Police and moved to Lagos where he took over control of the Criminal Intelligence Divisional Force. He would return to Kwara State and later Plateau State as Commissioner of Police.

In 1996, he was promoted to Assistant Inspector General of Police, placed in charge of Zonal Headquarters, Kano. In 1997 he completed a Masters
degree programme in Strategic Studies at the University of Ibadan and in 1998, was appointed a member of the Provisional Ruling Council in 1998.

In 2007, then Lagos State Governor and now Minister in charge of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, appointed Smith head of the Lagos State Security council.