Nigeria’s long-awaited State Police initiative has moved a major step closer to reality, with the Presidential Working Group declaring the National Policing Bill 90 per cent ready for transmission to the National Assembly within the next two weeks.
Chief of Staff to the President and Chairman of the Working Group, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, disclosed this on Thursday after a steering committee meeting at the State House, Abuja, raising fresh hopes for a major shake-up of the country’s policing architecture.
“The National Policing Bill is more or less ready for transmission to the National Assembly,” Gbajabiamila said, adding that one final meeting might be required to address outstanding issues and ensure that no critical area had been overlooked.
“We are 90 per cent ready,” he declared.
According to him, the committee is targeting completion within about a week, with a few observations from state governors still requiring attention before the bill can be forwarded to the legislature.
Gbajabiamila described the proposed legislation as “the most consequential Bill of the administration so far,” underscoring its significance amid persistent concerns over insecurity and calls for a fundamental overhaul of Nigeria’s policing system.
He said the bill had undergone intensive scrutiny in recent weeks, following the commencement of deliberations by the Working Group’s steering committee on August 3.
STATE POLICE: WILL GOVERNORS DELIVER?
Beyond the proposed National Policing Bill, attention is also turning to the fate of the Sixth Constitution Alteration Bill, which seeks to establish the constitutional framework for state police.
With reports indicating that only about six states out of the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory had passed the relevant constitutional amendment, questions have emerged over whether the reform could encounter resistance at the state level.
But Gbajabiamila dismissed suggestions that the process would lose momentum, insisting that Nigerians had reached a broad consensus on the need for the amendment.
“I see no reason why anyone will want to have a rethink on it,” he said.
His remarks signal the Federal Government’s determination to sustain the push for state police, even as the constitutional amendment process remains a critical hurdle.
TOP GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS AT STRATEGY SESSION
The meeting brought together key figures from the federal and state governments, security agencies and the legal sector.
Those in attendance included Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum and Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq; Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun; Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani; and Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu.
The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice was represented by the Solicitor-General and Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Justice, Mrs Beatrice Jedy-Agba.
Other participants included retired Justice Abdullahi Liman, Chairman of the Policy Advisory Committee; Professor Olu Ogunsakin, Head of the Nigeria Police Reform Secretariat; Dr Lanre Smart, Special Adviser to the President on National Assembly Matters (House of Representatives); and Nnadubem Moghalu, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Planning and Research and Secretary of the committee.
Representatives of the Nigerian Bar Association and the Office of the National Security Adviser were also present.
With the bill reportedly 90 per cent complete and a final round of consultations expected, the next two weeks could prove pivotal in determining when the proposed policing reforms reach the National Assembly.
The big question now is whether the remaining issues can be resolved quickly enough to turn the promise of state police into legislative action.
State Police Bill 90% Ready, Says Gbajabiamila
