The House of Representatives has begun detailed consideration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s executive bill seeking to establish state police, with lawmakers indicating they may adopt the Senate-passed version of the legislation with only minor adjustments.
Speaking at the meeting of the House Committee on Constitution Review on Monday, the Deputy Speaker of the House and Chairman of the Constitution Review Committee, Rep. Benjamin Kalu, said the House would leverage the work already done by the Senate to fast-track the passage of what he described as a priority constitutional amendment aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s security architecture.
Kalu recalled that the House had earlier passed its own Constitution Alteration Bill on State Police on June 11 before proceeding on recess.
However, lawmakers rescinded that decision on July 14 following the transmission of President Tinubu’s executive bill to enable consideration of the president’s proposal.
“You may recall that on the 11th of June, before the recess, the House considered and passed the Police Constitution Alteration Bill.
“However, following the introduction of an executive bill by the president, that decision was reversed by the House on the 14th of July to enable consideration of the executive bill coming from the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces,” Kalu said.
He explained that the president, as commander-in-chief, was best positioned to initiate comprehensive security reforms capable of addressing the country’s evolving security challenges.
According to him, 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 the committee is not just the Deputy Speaker and the Deputy Chairman. The committee is you and I.
“Our responsibility is to carefully scrutinise this legislation and ensure that 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 signature constitutional reform initiatives.
According to him, the president had consistently advocated for a multi-layered policing system since his tenure as governor of Lagos State.
“I must emphasise that the State Police Bill remains one of the signature constitutional reform initiatives of His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. As Governor of Lagos State, he was among the earliest advocates of multi-layered policing as a strategic solution to Nigeria’s security challenges.
“Today, as president, he is championing the same cause, demonstrating consistency between his convictions and his actions,” he stated.
The Deputy Speaker stressed that although the executive, legislature and judiciary are separate arms of government, they remain united in pursuing national priorities, particularly improving security across the country.
He said lawmakers convened on Monday, outside the House’s traditional Tuesday sitting schedule, because of the urgency attached to the legislation.
“We are here today not because it is convenient for us. Our parliamentary week ordinarily begins on Tuesday, but duty calls, and time is of the essence.
“We are joining hands with the Executive to ensure that this collaborative effort results in the successful passage of this priority constitutional amendment,” Kalu said.
He also disclosed that both chambers of the National Assembly were working closely to harmonise their efforts and fast-track the constitutional amendment process, expressing confidence that the bill would receive presidential assent once transmitted to the president.
Explaining the committee’s assignment, Kalu said members would use the Senate-approved version of the Executive Bill as the working document during the clause-by-clause consideration.
“The purpose of today’s meeting is to consider the Executive Bill clause by clause and make appropriate recommendations to the House.
“We must note that the Senate has already considered and adopted the bill with certain amendments, and copies of that version have been circulated to members.
“This document will serve as our working draft throughout this exercise,” he said.
According to Kalu, the Executive Bill is substantially similar to the version previously considered by the House, with only a few modifications.
Among the additions are provisions introducing Section 318 on interpretation, transitional and saving clauses to facilitate the implementation of the proposed State Police framework, as well as other consequential amendments.
He added that the Senate introduced about eight minor amendments, which the House committee would examine and adopt where appropriate.
“As we proceed with this amendment process, we shall take into consideration the work already done by the Senate and adopt it where applicable,” he said.
The consideration of the executive state police bill marks a significant step in the ongoing constitutional amendment process as lawmakers seek to establish a constitutionally backed multi-tier policing system aimed at improving internal security across the federation.
