Tinubu Names Gbajabiamila to Lead Policing Bill Group

President Bola Tinubu has appointed his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, to chair the Presidential Working Group responsible for drafting the National Policing Bill. The committee began its work on Tuesday after its inauguration at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. Its main task is to prepare the legal framework needed to introduce state police across Nigeria.

Representing the President at the event, Gbajabiamila explained that the recent constitutional amendment approved by the National Assembly creates the foundation for a dual policing system. However, he stressed that the National Policing Bill will provide the legal details needed to put that system into practice. 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 the President, the National Policing Bill will set out minimum policing standards, define state readiness certification, strengthen federal-state coordination, improve accountability, protect human rights safeguards, and establish fiscal conditions. He added that the committee should complete an implementation-ready draft immediately after the constitutional amendment process ends.

Tinubu also directed the committee to identify and recommend any additional legal measures required to ensure the smooth rollout of the dual policing system. He emphasised the need to begin the work without delay, saying, “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.”

The committee includes the Attorney-General of the Federation, National Security Adviser, Inspector-General of Police, President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), Chairman of the NGF Committee on State Police, and a dedicated secretariat.

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