State Police: No Price Too High for Security, Says Gbajabiamila
Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, Femi Gbajabiamila, has declared that no cost will be considered too high in the effort to secure the lives and property of Nigerians, as the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill unveiled its timeline for delivering the legislation that will operationalise state police across the country.
Gbajabiamila, who chairs the Working Group, made the remarks while briefing State House correspondents after convening a meeting at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa in Abuja. When asked to provide an estimated cost for implementing the new dual policing system, the Chief of Staff declined to give a figure, insisting that there is no cost that will be too much to secure lives and property. He explained that offering a cost estimate at this stage would amount to guesswork, adding that any figure ultimately produced would need to be grounded in proper research and evidence rather than speculation. Punch
According to Gbajabiamila, the Working Group has adopted a seven-week, milestone-driven work programme running from July 27 to September 14, 2026, with the completed executive bill expected to be ready for President Tinubu’s review by September 3. The Chief of Staff distinguished between the constitutional amendment already passed by the National Assembly, with the Senate approving the State Police constitutional proposal on June 24, 2026, and the House of Representatives passing the Executive State Police Bill on July 23, 2026, and the separate operational legislation his committee has now been tasked with drafting.
As part of the consultation process, the Presidency also unveiled a dedicated public information portal, nationalpolicingbill.com, through which Nigerians, civil society organisations, professional bodies, and other stakeholders can submit memoranda and position papers to help shape the legislation before it is finalised and transmitted to the National Assembly. Gbajabiamila said submissions to the portal would remain open until August 13, 2026, and would be organised by theme for consideration during the drafting process, with a national consultation to follow once a draft is completed.
Describing the reform as one of the most significant governance and security undertakings in the country’s recent history, Gbajabiamila said the central task of the Working Group was to design a lawful, professional, and sustainable federal and state policing system that brings greater capability closer to communities while preserving national standards and citizens’ rights. He stressed that while individual states may set higher policing standards, no Nigerian should receive a lower standard of protection based on their location.
Addressing lingering public scepticism about the motives behind the reform, Gbajabiamila argued that decentralised policing structures are the global norm among federal democracies, noting that he was unaware of any federal system in the world that operates a purely unitary policing structure. He maintained that Nigeria had reached a point where its existing policing arrangement could no longer adequately address the country’s growing security challenges, declaring that the time for state police was long overdue.
The unveiling of the timeline and public portal marks the latest step in a reform process that began with President Tinubu’s formation of the implementation committee, which also includes the Attorney-General of the Federation, the National Security Adviser, the Inspector-General of Police, and representatives of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum and the Nigerian Bar Association.
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