President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has appointed his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, as chairman of the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill, a key step toward the implementation of state police across Nigeria.
The committee, inaugurated on Tuesday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, is charged with drafting the legal framework that will operationalise the proposed dual policing system once the constitutional amendment establishing state police is approved.
Represented by Gbajabiamila, Tinubu said the National Policing Bill would provide the legal foundation for state policing and address critical issues, including minimum policing standards, state readiness, federal-state coordination, accountability, human rights safeguards, personnel transition and funding arrangements.
The President directed the committee to produce an implementation-ready draft bill without waiting for the constitutional amendment process to be completed, underscoring his administration’s determination to fast-track police reforms.
The working group comprises the Attorney-General of the Federation, the National Security Adviser, the 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.
Beyond drafting the bill, the panel is also expected to recommend additional legal instruments required to ensure the seamless rollout of the proposed state policing system.
