The Inspector General of police (IGP) Mr. Usman Baba and The Police Service Commission (PSC) has approved a new dress code that allows female police officers to wear Hijab and even earrings as part of their police uniform.
This new dress code is primarily adopted to accommodate the rich Nigeria’s cultural and religious sentiments in the police service. For instance, the Islamic religion expects female believers to wear hijabs, covering from their head down to their shoulders and arms and only to expose their face. With this new dress code, female police officers who are of the Islamic religion can be able to dress as their religion expects them while still putting on their police uniform and discharging their police duties.
According to the spokesperson of the police, Mr. Olumuyiwa Adejobi, in the public statement issued on Friday, stated that the new dress code was unveiled on Thursday at a meeting involving the Inspector General of police, top ranking police officers and “strategic police managers.
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The new dress code will also allow officers who wish to wear stud earrings under their berets or peak caps while in uniform which was not previously allowed.
The police spokesperson went ahead to state that the new dress code was approved to guarantee gender inclusion in the police service for “optimum output and professionalism”. “The IG of police also noted that the Nigeria police workforce has officers from every local government in the country with a variety of ethnic and religious backgrounds, and an increased inclusion of female folks and the new dress code was approved to accommodate more of religious and cultural difference especially of that of female police officers and so to make them feel more comfortable in execution of their statutory duties.
The police commission emphasized that the new approved dress code is optional and female police officers who wish to remain on the previous dressing status quo are allowed and female officers who wish to go by the new dress code are at liberty to do so.
Officers were also forewarned to abide by the standard dress code and senior women police officers have been tasked by the IGP to ensure compliance with the approved standard for women police officers who have opted to adopt the new dress code.
The Inspector-General of Police noted that this development, which is in line with international best practices, addresses the growing concern for gender mainstreaming and respect for culture and diversity,”.