By Aaron Ossai
The House of Representatives has begun formal consideration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Executive Bill seeking to establish State Police, with lawmakers indicating they may adopt the version already passed by the Senate with only minor amendments.
The bill, transmitted to the National Assembly by President Tinubu, is a key component of the administration’s constitutional reform agenda aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s internal security architecture through a multi-tier policing system.
Speaking at the meeting of the House Committee on Constitution Review on Monday, Deputy Speaker and Chairman of the Committee, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu, said the House would scrutinise the Executive Bill clause by clause while using the Senate-approved version as its working document.
Kalu recalled that the House had passed its own Constitution Alteration Bill on State Police on June 11 before the National Assembly went on recess. However, lawmakers reversed that decision on July 14 following the President’s submission of an Executive Bill, allowing the House to consider the administration’s proposal instead.
He said the President, as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, is uniquely positioned to propose comprehensive legislation capable of addressing Nigeria’s growing security challenges.
According to Kalu, the Executive Bill has already passed first and second readings in the House, while the extensive stakeholder engagement held during the National Assembly Open Week fulfilled the public hearing requirement for the legislation.
“The bill has been referred to this Committee, and our responsibility is to carefully scrutinise it to ensure it reflects the aspirations and expectations of the Nigerian people,” he said.
Kalu described the proposed State Police legislation as one of President Tinubu’s flagship constitutional reform initiatives, noting that the President had consistently advocated for state policing since his tenure as Governor of Lagos State.
He said Tinubu’s continued push for decentralised policing demonstrates consistency between his long-held convictions and his actions in office.
The Deputy Speaker stressed that while the Executive, Legislature and Judiciary remain independent arms of government, they share a common responsibility to protect lives and property.
“As we have always argued, although we are three arms of government, we are one government. There is a national objective, and all we do is align ourselves with it, especially when that objective is in the best interest of Nigerians,” he said.
Kalu explained that lawmakers convened on Monday—outside the House’s regular Tuesday sitting schedule—because of the urgency of the security situation and the need to expedite the constitutional amendment.
He also disclosed that both chambers of the National Assembly are working closely to ensure the bill is passed quickly, expressing confidence that President Tinubu would promptly assent to the legislation once it is transmitted to him.
Explaining the committee’s task, Kalu said members would conduct a clause-by-clause review of the Executive Bill, relying largely on the Senate’s version, which has already incorporated several amendments.
He noted that the Executive Bill is substantially similar to earlier versions previously considered by the National Assembly, with only limited adjustments.
Among the notable additions, he identified new interpretation provisions under Section 318, as well as transitional and saving clauses designed to guide the implementation of the proposed State Police framework.
