The Presidency has urged Nigerians to submit their views and recommendations on the proposed National Policing Bill before the public consultation closes at 5:00 p.m. today, Thursday, August 13, 2026.
The call was made by the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, who is also the Chairman of the National Working Group on the proposed policing bill.
Gbajabiamila said the consultation was opened to give Nigerians and other stakeholders the opportunity to contribute to the proposed reform and make recommendations on how the country’s policing system can be improved.
He said the public can submit their memoranda through the National Policing Bill portal, adding that the initial submission period ends at 5:00 p.m. today.
Gbajabiamila said the submissions would not be adopted automatically, but would be reviewed and considered in the development of the proposed legislation.
He explained that the creation of state police would require an amendment to the Constitution to allow state and federal police to operate side by side.
According to him, after the constitutional amendment, both chambers of the National Assembly would have to agree on the same version of the bill before it is sent to the state Houses of Assembly.
He added that the bill would require approval from at least 24 state Houses of Assembly before it could return to the President for assent.
Making a case for state police, Gbajabiamila said officers who understand the language, geography and security situation of their communities would be better positioned to gather intelligence and respond quickly to crime.
He, however, acknowledged concerns that governors could abuse state police for political purposes.
“The concern that governors might use state police against political opponents, minority communities or dissenting voices is serious and must be answered in the design of the law,” he said.
Gbajabiamila also addressed concerns about the timing of the proposed reform, especially fears that it could be influenced by the approaching election season.
He said the concerns were understandable because policing powers could affect political competition, but argued that the possibility of abuse should be addressed through strong safeguards rather than by delaying the reform indefinitely.
The former Speaker of the House of Representatives also noted that Nigeria rarely has a completely election-free period because of general and off-cycle elections.
He warned that continuously postponing necessary reforms whenever an election approaches could make it difficult for important changes to ever take place.
Gbajabiamila therefore urged Nigerians to take advantage of the opportunity to contribute to the process by submitting their views and recommendations through the National Policing Bill portal before the 5:00 p.m. deadline today.
[NAN]