The establishment of state police in Nigeria has moved a step closer to reality, with at least 30 state Houses of Assembly approving the proposed constitutional amendment, Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, said on Thursday.

Contents

Bamidele said the constitutional threshold for the amendment had been met, expressing the National Assembly’s determination to complete the remaining legislative processes and transmit the State Police Constitution Alteration Bill, 2026, to President Bola Tinubu for assent on or before December 2026.

He spoke while delivering a lecture to participants of Senior Executive Course 48 at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, Jos, Plateau State, according to his media office.

The lecture, titled “Improving the Efficiency and Effectiveness of Governance through Proactive Lawmaking,” examined the role of legislation in promoting effective governance.

Bamidele, who is also Vice-Chairman of the Senate Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution, described the approval of the bill by at least 30 states as a historic milestone in the country’s efforts to reform its security architecture.

The leader stated, “We are pleased to inform our constituents across the federation that State Police have moved from rhetoric to reality.

“We have already received formal reports from the State Houses of Assembly and, as of today, no fewer than 30 states have approved the State Police Constitution Alteration Bill, 2026.

“By the provision of Section 9(2) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which requires the concurrence of not less than two-thirds of all State Houses of Assembly, the constitutional requirement for the alteration has been duly met. This is a historic milestone in our collective quest to re-engineer our security architecture and make it more responsive, more local, and more effective.”

Bamidele explained that the National Assembly would collate the state assemblies’ reports and pass a resolution by a simple majority in both chambers before transmitting the bill to the President for assent.

“We have set a clear timeline for ourselves. We intend to conclude all these legislative stages -consideration of reports, passage of resolution, and transmission for presidential assent -on or before December 2026”, Senator Bamidele added.

He noted that the development followed more than 15 years of unsuccessful attempts to establish state police, adding that the reform would strengthen local security and improve accountability.

“It is now a constitutional reality. It means that the security of lives, private property and public assets occupies a prime place in the legislative agenda of the 10th National Assembly”, he stressed.

Bamidele further explained that the proposed system would enable Nigeria to develop a policing structure that understands local terrain, speaks local languages, respects local realities, and remains accountable to the communities it serves.

The Senate leader, however, stated that the reform was not intended to weaken the Federal Government but to strengthen the federation. He said the objective was not to create state armies but to establish state-led, community-anchored policing within clear constitutional safeguards, operational standards, oversight mechanisms, and human rights protections.

According to him, the National Assembly, under the leadership of Senate President, Senator Godswill Akpabio, remains committed to completing the process, saying, “We will not falter until every Nigerian, whether in Kuru, in Iyin-Ekiti, in Gusau or in Yenagoa, can sleep with both eyes closed.”

On the performance of the 10th National Assembly, Bamidele said lawmakers had prioritised strategic, people-centred legislation with direct implications for citizens’ welfare, arguing that the impact of legislative interventions should matter more than the number of bills passed.

He listed the Student Loans (Access to Higher Education) Act, 2024; the Minimum Wage (Amendment) Act, 2024; the four Tax Reform Acts of 2025; and the National Social Investment Programme Act among the major laws passed by the current Assembly.

Others, he said, included the Electoral Act, 2026; the Cybercrimes (Amendment) Act; the Investments and Securities Act, 2025; the Nigerian Insurance Industry Reform Act, 2024; and the Regional Development Commissions Acts.

Bamidele described the legislation as products of proactive lawmaking, which he said could help Nigeria move from reactive governance to a strategic and preventive approach to addressing national challenges.

On the relationship between NIPSS and the National Assembly, he called for stronger institutional collaboration to improve legislative foresight and policymaking.

He went on, “NIPSS has a special role to play in this transformation. The Institute has demonstrated capacity to bring together experienced Nigerians from the public sector, military, private sector, academia and other strategic institutions.

“Its Senior Executive Course is designed around policy, strategy, leadership, economics, international relations, security, science and technology, and peace and conflict studies. This multidisciplinary character makes NIPSS uniquely positioned to contribute to legislative foresight. I would, therefore, encourage stronger institutional collaboration between NIPSS and the National Assembly.”

Bamidele cautioned that good laws alone could not guarantee good governance, stressing the need for effective implementation, adequate funding, monitoring, and periodic review.

“Good governance requires good laws. But good laws alone do not guarantee good governance. We require laws that are relevant, evidence-based, implementable, adequately funded, properly administered, effectively monitored, periodically reviewed and ultimately measured by their impact on citizens”, he added.

The lecture was attended by the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Employment, Labour and Productivity, Senator Diket Plang; Chairman of the Senate Committee on Tourism, Senator Pam Dachungyang; NIPSS Director-General, Professor Ayo Omotayo; and former President of the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers, Mr Adekunle Alonge, among others. (Tribune )