KEY POINTS

• The National Criminal Data Fusion Centre plays an important role in real time threat tracking according to Minister Imaan Sulaiman Ibrahim.
• During her tenure, she introduced the NPF Gender Policy which focuses on inclusion of gender in the police force.
• Under the *Renewed Hope Agenda*, she keeps pushing women and child empowerment initiatives.

Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, the Minister of Women Affairs said the National Criminal Data Fusion Centre was an important tool in the effort to combat crime and insecurity in Nigeria.

She said the centre is a “centralized hub for integrating and analysing identity data for real time threat tracking and neutralization.”

The Crime Reporters Association of Nigeria previously awarded the minister the Platinum Award in Security Support, while the minister served as the Minister of State for Police Affairs.

She said that in her acceptance speech and dedicated the award to teams and individuals who have contributed to strengthening Nigeria’s security framework, saying that her contribution was just another part of a team effort.

Enhanced security of life and property

Between 1990 and 1993, as Minister of State for Police Affairs, Sulaiman Ibrahim led several landmark reforms he introduced in stabilizing Nigeria’s security system.

One of her proudest achievements, she said, was her involvement in the creation of the National Criminal Data Fusion Centre.

“The new facility is a state of the art place, which has become a centralized facility for the integration of identity data to help detect and analyze the identity of those threats in real time,” Sulaiman-Ibrahim said.

She also emphasized the need for development of community policing through continuous strengthening of relationship between communities and Nigeria Police Force (NPF).

Her administration succeeded in creating customized solutions to specific security challenges through grassroots engagements, town hall meetings and strengthening of partnerships with Police Community Relations Committee (PCRC).

In advocating for gender inclusivity and community empowerment

During her tenure, however, Sulaiman-Ibrahim has laid emphasis on the drive for gender inclusivity and cited the NPF Gender Policy as a yardstick.

As a result, the police force has gender balance, which has for example resulted in the inclusion of a female officer in the NPF’s leadership team.

‘We have repeatedly insisted on, and advanced, the NPF Gender Policy, which has seen an increase in gender balance in the institution, including the position of a female officer in the leadership of the force all a sign that the institution is evolving with the times,’ she said.

As a Minister for Women Affairs, she has now changed focus to the protection and empowerment of women and children.

She also mentioned how ascribed to the work directed towards the initiative of Nigeria for Women project under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

The aim of this initiative is to empower women economically and build legal foundations to fight issues related to child protection and gender equality, and develop inclusive growth.

We don’t want any Nigerian woman or child to be left behind. ”We are committed to implementing really tangible, transformative programs that actually provide measurable results,” she affirmed.

Media and law enforcement agencies

Sulaiman-Ibrahim, in her remarks, hailed Crime Reporters Association of Nigeria for acknowledging her contributions as a security supporter. She said without the media shaping the narrative on security, justice and accountability would be difficult to achieve.

She added that “the media is a critical ally in our common cause to promote the rule of law, accountability, and the safety of all Nigerians.”

Furthermore she thanked the men and women of the Nigeria Police Force and other security agencies for the endless services and commitment they render to keep Nigerians safe.