By Clement Nwabuko
ABUJA (PRECISE POST) – The Leader of the Senate, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, has declared that the establishment of state police in Nigeria has moved from prolonged debate to reality, following the approval of the State Police Constitution Alteration Bill, 2026, by at least 30 state Houses of Assembly.
Bamidele said the constitutional requirement for the proposed reform had been met, adding that the National Assembly planned to conclude the remaining legislative processes and transmit the bill to President Bola Tinubu for assent on or before December 2026.
The Senate Leader, who is also Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution, disclosed this on Thursday 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.
The lecture, titled “Improving the Efficiency and Effectiveness of Governance through Proactive Lawmaking,” examined the role of legislation in strengthening public governance and promoting national development.
According to Bamidele, the approval of the bill by at least 30 state Houses of Assembly represents a historic milestone in Nigeria’s efforts to restructure its security architecture and establish a policing system that is more responsive to local needs.
He explained that Section 9(2) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, requires the concurrence of at least two-thirds of all state Houses of Assembly for a constitutional alteration, adding that the required threshold had been met.
“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,” he said.
Bamidele, however, clarified that the process was not yet complete, noting that the National Assembly must collate and consider the reports from the state legislatures before passing a resolution by a simple majority of members in both chambers.
He said the bill would subsequently be transmitted to the President for assent after the National Assembly had completed the required legislative stages.
“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,” he said.
The Senate Leader described the development as a significant breakthrough after more than 15 years of unsuccessful attempts to establish state police through constitutional amendments.
“What this means is that state police is no longer a campaign promise or a subject of endless debate. 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 stated.
He argued that decentralised policing would enable Nigeria to develop a security system better equipped to understand local terrain, communicate in indigenous languages and respond to the specific security challenges confronting communities.
Bamidele also dismissed concerns that state police would weaken the Federal Government, insisting that the reform was intended to strengthen Nigeria’s federal structure rather than undermine the authority of the centre.
According to him, the initiative is not about creating state armies but establishing state-led, community-based policing structures operating within clear constitutional safeguards, operational standards, oversight mechanisms and human rights protections.
He reaffirmed the commitment of the 10th National Assembly, under the leadership of Senate President Godswill Akpabio, to ensuring the completion of the process.
“We will not falter until every Nigerian, whether in Kuru, in Iyin-Ekiti, in Gusau or in Yenagoa, can sleep with both eyes closed,” he added.
Beyond security sector reform, Bamidele highlighted several legislative initiatives undertaken by the 10th National Assembly, saying the legislature had prioritised strategic, people-centred laws designed to improve citizens’ welfare and strengthen public institutions.
He listed the Student Loans (Access to Higher Education) Act, 2024; Minimum Wage (Amendment) Act, 2024; the four Tax Reform Acts of 2025; and the National Social Investment Programme Act among the major legislation passed by the National Assembly.
Others, he said, included the Electoral Act, 2026; Cybercrimes (Amendment) Act; Investments and Securities Act, 2025; Nigerian Insurance Industry Reform Act, 2024; and the laws establishing regional development commissions.
The Senate Leader maintained that these legislative interventions demonstrated the importance of proactive lawmaking, which he described as a tool for anticipating emerging challenges, addressing structural weaknesses and creating legal frameworks to support innovation and institutional reforms.
He said the impact of proactive legislation extended across national security, economic transformation, public financial management, electoral credibility, education, healthcare, technological innovation, environmental sustainability and intergovernmental relations.
Bamidele also called for stronger institutional collaboration between NIPSS and the National Assembly, describing the institute as a strategic partner in legislative research, policy development and national planning.
He noted that NIPSS’s multidisciplinary approach, which brings together participants from the public sector, military, private sector, academia and other strategic institutions, positioned it to contribute meaningfully to legislative foresight and evidence-based policymaking.
The Senate Leader, however, cautioned that the passage of laws alone was insufficient to guarantee good governance, stressing that legislation must be relevant, evidence-based, implementable, adequately funded and effectively monitored.
“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 said.
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; Director-General of NIPSS, Professor Ayo Omotayo; and former President of the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers, Adekunle Alonge.
