Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele noted that the National Assembly has until December 2026 to finish the remaining legislative steps following the ratification of the constitutional amendment bill on the establishment of state police by no fewer than 30 State Houses of Assembly.
He disclosed this yesterday while addressing participants of the Senior Executive Course 48 at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, Plateau State. He said the focus now was on the next phase of the reform, which was to get the required legislative resolution and presidential assent.
The Guardian reported that the Senate Leader, who is also the Vise Chairman, Senate Committee on Review of the 1999 Constitution, said the approvals had met the constitutional requirements for amending the 1999 Constitution, as amended.
He said the development was a huge step toward decentralising Nigeria’s security structure after more than 15 years of failed efforts to establish state police through constitutional change.
However, the proposed amendment still needs to be passed by the National Assembly before being transmitted to President Bola Tinubu for assent. Bamidele said the parliamentarians would gather reports from state legislatures, examine their stances and approve the needed resolution with a simple majority in both chambers.
“We have a clear timeline for ourselves. All these legislative processes – discussion of reports, passage of resolution, transmission for presidential assent – we expect to complete by December 2026 or before’, he said.
Bamidele said the proposed approach would enable states to put in place policing arrangements better suited to an understanding of local topography, speaking local languages and responding to the security needs of their citizens.
But he insisted state police wouldn’t mean the development of state armies or an attempt to undercut the federal authority. Conversely, he said the change would reinforce Nigeria’s federation with state-led community-based policing underpinned by constitutional safeguards, operational standards, oversight systems and human rights protections.
He also questioned the way the legislature’s performance should be measured beyond the security reforms. The number of laws passed, he said, does not necessarily translate into improved governance but can only achieve its intended objectives when backed by effective implementation, adequate funding, proper administration and regular monitoring.
Bamidele also stressed the need for a more robust partnership between NIPSS and the National Assembly, adding that the multidisciplinary nature of the institute may allow lawmakers to formulate evidence-based policies, and enhance legislative foresight.
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