Tinubu Appoints Gbajabiamila to Lead Policing Bill Group
President Tinubu has appointed Femi Gbajabiamila to lead efforts to prepare the National Policing Bill for state police implementation.
President Bola Tinubu has appointed Femi Gbajabiamila to lead the Presidential Working Group responsible for preparing the National Policing Bill.
The committee began its work on Tuesday at the Presidential Villa in Abuja. Femi Gbajabiamila, who serves as the President’s Chief of Staff, chaired the inauguration on behalf of President Bola Tinubu. The group will create the legal framework needed to introduce state police across Nigeria. While the National Assembly has already proposed constitutional changes to allow a dual policing system, the National Policing Bill will set out how it will work in practice. The National Policing Bill will therefore play a central role in moving the plan forward.
Speaking through Gbajabiamila, the President said, “The Constitution Amendment Bill establishes in the framework for dual policing, but it does not operationalise it. That work is left to the National Policing Bill.”
He explained that the proposed law would cover minimum policing standards, state readiness, federal-state coordination, accountability, human rights safeguards, and the movement of police personnel. It would also include fiscal conditions to support the new system.
He added, “The proposed National Policing Bill will include provisions on minimum policing standards, state readiness certification, federal-state coordination, accountability, human rights safeguards and fiscal conditions.”
The President said the committee should complete an implementation-ready draft of the National Policing Bill as soon as the constitutional amendment process ends. He also instructed the group to recommend any additional legal measures needed for a smooth transition to the dual policing system.
He said, “The Working Group has been constituted to produce a technically robust, implementation-ready draft National Policing Bill for transmission to the National Assembly.
“We must not wait until the constitutional process is concluded before beginning this important assignment,” he said.
The committee includes the Attorney-General of the Federation, National Security Adviser, Inspector-General of Police, the President of the Nigerian Bar Association, the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, the Chairman of the NGF Committee on State Police, and a secretariat.
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