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The National Policing Bill is 90 per cent ready and is expected to be transmitted to the National Assembly within two weeks, Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, Femi Gbajabiamila, has said.
Gbajabiamila disclosed this on Thursday after a meeting of the steering committee of the Presidential Working Group on National Policing at the State House, Abuja.
According to a statement issued by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, the committee is finalising the proposed legislation ahead of its transmission to the National Assembly for consideration.
Gbajabiamila, who chairs the Presidential Working Group, said the bill required only minor adjustments, including the consideration of observations submitted by state governors.
“The National Policing Bill is more or less ready for transmission to the National Assembly. We will probably have one more meeting after this to cross the t’s and dot the i’s and make sure every area is covered. So, we are 90% ready. The governors have one or two observations, and we should be ready in about a week or so,” he was quoted as saying.
He described the proposed legislation as the most consequential bill of the Tinubu administration, noting that the working group had undertaken intensive deliberations since August 3.
The proposed legislation is part of ongoing efforts to reform Nigeria’s policing system amid persistent security challenges and renewed calls for the establishment of state police.
On concerns about the pace of the constitutional amendment required to enable states to establish their own police forces, Gbajabiamila expressed confidence that the process would progress.
He acknowledged concerns that only about six states had reportedly passed the Sixth Constitution Alteration Bill on state police but maintained that there was broad national support for the proposed reform.
“I see no reason why anyone will want to have a rethink on it,” he said.
The constitutional amendment is a critical component of the process because the existing constitutional framework places the Nigeria Police Force under federal control. Establishing state police would require changes to the relevant constitutional provisions and a legal framework defining the powers, responsibilities and operational boundaries of the proposed state police institutions.
The National Policing Bill is expected to provide a framework for the proposed policing arrangements, although its final provisions will depend on the version submitted to and considered by the National Assembly.
Those present at Thursday’s meeting included the 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 was represented by the Solicitor-General and Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Justice, Beatrice Jedy-Agba.
Other participants included the Chairman of the Policy Advisory Committee, retired Justice Abdullahi Liman; Head of the Nigeria Police Reform Secretariat, Professor Olu Ogunsakin; and the President’s Special Adviser on National Assembly Matters (House of Representatives), Dr Lanre Smart.
Also in attendance were the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Planning and Research and Secretary of the Committee, Nnadubem Moghalu; a representative of the Nigerian Bar Association president; and Assistant Inspector-General of Police Abraham Nabhon Thomas, who represented the National Security Adviser.
The debate over state police has remained a major issue in Nigeria’s security and constitutional reform discussions.
Proponents argue that decentralising policing could improve intelligence gathering, shorten response times and enable law enforcement to address security threats within local communities more effectively.
However, concerns have also been raised about the possible politicisation of state police, particularly the risk that state governors could use local security agencies against political opponents or critics.
The proposal therefore involves more than establishing police commands in individual states.
It also requires constitutional changes and safeguards addressing recruitment, funding, operational independence, accountability and the relationship between state police institutions and the federal police.
The proposed National Policing Bill is being developed against this background, with the Presidential Working Group expected to finalise its proposals before transmission to the National Assembly.
