By Olugbenga Salami
The Senate on Tuesday passed for second reading a bill to repeal the Nigeria Police Trust Fund (Establishment) Act, 2019 and enact the Nigeria Police Trust Fund Act, 2026.
Presenting the bill’s general principles during plenary, the Senate Leader Michael Opeyemi Bamidele, (Ekiti Central), said the legislation aims to provide sustainable funding for the equipment, training, and welfare of the Nigeria Police Force amid rising security challenges.
He noted that Nigeria faces complex and evolving threats, including insurgency, banditry, kidnapping, armed robbery, cybercrime, and communal unrest, which have placed enormous pressure on the police.
According to Bamidele, the police are constrained by inadequate funding, obsolete equipment, poor infrastructure, insufficient training, and welfare challenges that continue to affect morale and operational efficiency.
He described the bill as a deliberate intervention to address systemic deficiencies in a structured and sustainable way.
While the existing Trust Fund Act was commendable, he said, implementation had exposed gaps in governance structure, funding sustainability, project execution, and transparency.
The new bill seeks to establish a more robust, transparent, and accountable funding mechanism. It aims to ensure predictable funding streams, enhance operational capacity and technology adoption, improve personnel welfare, and align policing with global standards.
Proposed funding sources include one percent of Federation Account revenue, development levies under relevant tax laws, government grants at all levels, international and donor support, and private sector contributions and endowments.
Bamidele said the diversified structure would reduce over‑reliance on annual budgetary allocations and sustain priority interventions, including modern equipment acquisition, digital surveillance systems, forensic technology, rehabilitation of police facilities, capacity building, intelligence operations, and emergency response.
The fund, he added would also improve welfare packages for officers and strengthen training institutions nationwide.
Seconding the motion, Senator Abba Moro, (Benue South), said the bill was timely and necessary, noting that inadequate funding remains a major obstacle to effective policing. He urged lawmakers to ensure adequate provisions for the Trust Fund.
Senator Abdul Ningi, (Bauchi Central), called the bill a “massive boost” to Nigeria’s security architecture but stressed it must not be treated as routine legislation and must be implemented with strict accountability.
However, Senator Adamu Aliero, (Kebbi Central), raised constitutional concerns about deductions from the Federation Account, urging consultation with state and local governments to avoid legal disputes and stressed full compliance with constitutional provisions on revenue sharing.
Senator Mohammed Tahir Monguno, (Borno North), cited Section 80(2) and argued the bill is constitutional, saying the National Assembly has power to pass an Act charging expenditure to the Consolidated Revenue Fund.
The Senate President Godswill Akpabio responded that Section 81 requires such funding to be captured in the annual estimates of revenue and expenditure, rather than as a standalone deduction.
Akpabio assured lawmakers the Senate would not pass any law inconsistent with the Constitution, saying constitutional compliance and accountability would remain central to the process.
He added that the bill would undergo further scrutiny at a public hearing, where stakeholders would address contentious issues, particularly the funding structure and implementation mechanisms.
The bill was referred to the Senate Committee on Police Affairs, and expected to report back within two weeks.
