Federal Government has announced that the National Policing Bill is almost completed and will be transmitted to the National Assembly within two weeks for consideration.
Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu and Chairman of the Presidential Working Group on Policing Reform, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, disclosed this on Thursday after the group’s steering committee meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Gbajabiamila said the bill had reached an advanced stage after weeks of consultations involving key stakeholders, including governors, security officials and legal experts.
“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,” he said.
“The governors have one or two observations, and we should be ready in about a week or so,” he added.
The proposed legislation is expected to provide a new framework for policing in Nigeria and strengthen efforts to address rising security challenges across the country.
Gbajabiamila described the bill as “the most consequential Bill of the administration so far,” noting that it had gone through extensive reviews since the Presidential Working Group began its deliberations on August 3.
The move comes amid renewed calls from Nigerians, state governments and security stakeholders for reforms that will improve intelligence gathering, community participation and response to crimes such as terrorism, kidnapping, banditry and violent attacks.
Speaking on concerns that some states may delay the passage of the Sixth Constitution Alteration Bill on State Police, Gbajabiamila said there was broad support for the reform among Nigerians.
“I see no reason why anyone will want to have a rethink on it,” he said, adding that there was a “national consensus” on the need for the constitutional amendments.
The meeting was attended by key government officials and stakeholders, including Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum and Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun, Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani, Inspector General of Police Tunji Disu, and representatives of the Attorney General of the Federation.
Other participants included members of the President’s Policy Advisory Committee, the Nigeria Police Reform Secretariat, the National Assembly liaison office, the Nigerian Bar Association and security representatives.
The development is part of ongoing efforts by the Tinubu administration to overhaul Nigeria’s policing system and create a more effective security structure capable of responding to the country’s changing security needs.