President Bola Tinubu has named his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, as the chairman of the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill.
The committee, which was inaugurated on Tuesday at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, is tasked with the responsibility of preparing the legal framework for implementing state police across the country.
This online medium reports that Tinubu, who was represented at the inauguration by Gbajabiamila, said that while the constitutional amendment carried out by the National Assembly creates the framework for state police, the National Policing Bill would provide the legal structure for its implementation.
He 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.”
According to him, the proposed legislation would address policing standards, state readiness, federal-state coordination, accountability, human rights safeguards and personnel transition.
“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,” he noted.
The president said that the committee will produce an implementation-ready draft bill immediately after the constitutional amendment process.
He said the committee would also recommend other legal instruments required for the smooth implementation of the dual policing system.
“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.
Members of the committee include the Attorney-General of the Federation, National Security Adviser and Inspector-General of Police.
Others are: President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), the Chairman, Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), Chairman, NGF Committee on State Police and a Secretariat.
