The Presidential Working Group on State Police has said the proposed National Policing Bill is 90 per cent ready for transmission to the National Assembly, with the process expected to be completed within two weeks.
The Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu and Chairman of the Working Group, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, disclosed this on Thursday while briefing journalists after a steering committee meeting at the State House, Abuja.
Gbajabiamila said the committee might hold one more meeting to review outstanding issues and incorporate observations from state governors before transmitting the bill to the National Assembly.
“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 per cent ready,” he said.
He added that the governors had raised a few observations that would be considered before the bill was finalised.
“The governors have one or two observations, and we should be ready in about a week or so,” Gbajabiamila said.
The presidential aide described the proposed legislation as “the most consequential Bill of the administration so far,” noting that it had undergone extensive deliberations since the Working Group’s steering committee began its meetings on August 3.
He said the committee was working to ensure that the proposed legislation adequately addressed the issues surrounding the establishment and operation of state police in Nigeria.
Gbajabiamila also expressed confidence in the prospects of the Sixth Constitution Alteration Bill on state police, despite reports that only about six states had passed the proposed amendment out of the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
He maintained that there was broad agreement across the country on the need for the constitutional amendments to enable the establishment of state police.
“I see no reason why anyone will want to have a rethink on it,” he said.
The proposed state police framework is part of ongoing efforts to reform Nigeria’s policing system and address security challenges through a constitutional and legislative framework.
The meeting was attended by the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum and Governor of Kwara State, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq; Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State; Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State; and the Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu.
Also present was the Solicitor-General and Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Justice, Mrs Beatrice Jedy-Agba, who represented the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice.
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 Special Adviser to the President on National Assembly Matters (House of Representatives), Dr Lanre Smart.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Planning and Research and Secretary of the Committee, Nnadubem Moghalu, was also present, alongside representatives of the Nigerian Bar Association and the National Security Adviser, represented by Assistant Inspector-General of Police Abraham Nabhon Thomas.
The bill is expected to be transmitted to the National Assembly following the conclusion of the committee’s consultations and final review.