The Presidency has made significant progress on the State Police Bill, with the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill, led by Chief of Staff to the President, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, working to translate the commitment to state policing into proposals that can withstand scrutiny and work in practice. The Group has adopted a policy outline as the working basis for drafting and is currently working on legislative proposals.
According to Nnadubem Moghalu, Secretary of the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill and Senior Special Assistant to President Tinubu on Research and Planning, the Working Group was inaugurated to move the debate on state policing from emotions to a constitutional and operational framework. Moghalu disclosed that all 36 states have now submitted memoranda in support of the bill.
The National Economic Council has deliberated on the matter, and the Constitution Alteration Bill was before the National Assembly. Since September 16, six days after the unveiling of a book on the imperative of state police, the bill has been transmitted to the states for the concurrence of at least 24 of the 36 states, representing a two-thirds majority, as mandated by the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Moghalu, in his presentation at the public unveiling of the book, 'The Imperative of State Police in Nigeria', in Abuja on September 10, flagged three critical questions that the Working Group is grappling with: funding and sustainability for less viable states, safeguards against abuse by governors, and the operational relationship between the federal and state police.
The Working Group has deliberately made public engagement part of the process from the outset, with a call for public submissions, a public briefing in August, and subsequent media engagements to explain the assignment, address concerns, and make clear how the proposals are being developed. The Group has also engaged with concerns about how state policing would operate at the Nigerian Bar Association conference.
Some stakeholders see state policing as long overdue, while others worry that it could bring coercive power closer to political interests without bringing accountability any closer to the citizen. These concerns deserve a serious hearing and bear directly on the safeguards the proposals must address. Public engagement must, therefore, continue as the work develops.
The Policy Advisory Committee has a defined role in reviewing and testing the proposals, and legal validation is also part of the process. The Working Group must ensure that what is birthed is not merely a decentralised version of the problems currently experienced in the Nigeria Police Force, including poor welfare, inadequate equipment, and insufficient training.
Key points
- All 36 states have submitted memoranda in support of the State Police Bill.
- The Presidency is working to address concerns about funding, sustainability, and safeguards against abuse by governors.
- Public engagement will continue as the work on the State Police Bill develops.
