National Assembly transmits state police bill to Tinubu

The National Assembly has transmitted the constitution amendment bill seeking to establish state police to President Bola Tinubu for assent after receiving approval from 30 state houses of assembly.

The development was announced during Wednesday’s plenary after Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin Barau, read a notice from the clerk to the National Assembly, Kamoru Ogunlana.

According to the notice, the office of the clerk had received approvals from 29 state assemblies as of the close of business on Tuesday, November 3.

The notice said the leadership of the national assembly had consequently directed the clerk to transmit the bill to the president on Wednesday, November 4.

However, Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, subsequently read out the names of 30 state assemblies that had approved the bill.

The states are Adamawa, Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Borno, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Ekiti, Enugu, Gombe, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Lagos, Nasarawa, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Plateau, Rivers, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe and Zamfara.

Bamidele said the 30 approvals exceeded the constitutional requirement of two-thirds of the 36 state assemblies, which amounts to 24 states.

He explained that the amendment process involved three stages: passage by the national assembly, approval by at least two-thirds of state assemblies, and presidential assent.

“Passage of the bill was meant to be done by the national assembly, which was done, and approval is meant to be done by at least two-thirds of the 36 state houses of assembly in the country, and assent is to be given by the president to complete this process,” he said.

Bamidele said the requirement was designed to ensure that constitution amendments received the backing of critical stakeholders across the different levels of government.

He described the development as a positive one for democracy and the country.

Similarly, the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, disclosed on Wednesday, while presiding over plenary, that the bill will be forwarded to the president today following the approval of the constitutional amendment proposal by 29 of the 36 state Houses of Assembly.

Kalu expressed excitement over the endorsement of the proposed police reform by more than two-thirds of the state legislatures, describing the development as a major step towards the establishment of state police in the country.

“The State Police Bill has received the backing of 29 State Assemblies. Later today, the Clerk to the National Assembly will transmit it to the President for assent,” he said.

The approval by the state assemblies marks a significant milestone in the push for constitutional amendment to allow states to establish and manage their own police forces alongside the Nigeria Police Force.