The Presidency on Tuesday called on the organised private sector to help fund and implement the proposed state police system, even as 24 State Houses of Assembly have approved the constitutional amendment needed to establish state police.
Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, who is also Chairman of the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill, made the disclosure on Monday while speaking on a panel on “Security, Stability and Economic Resilience” at the 32nd Nigerian Economic Summit, held at the Congress Hall, Transcorp Hilton, Abuja.
He said the Presidential Working Group had submitted the draft National Policing Bill alongside 29 consequential amendment bills to the Federal Ministry of Justice on October 19, and that the proposals would be forwarded to President Bola Tinubu for approval and then transmitted to the National Assembly after further review.
Gbajabiamila asked business associations and chambers of commerce to publicly back the reform and engage governors and state lawmakers on its implementation, arguing that the cost of Nigeria’s current security arrangement was “already in your accounts” through spending on private security and disrupted deliveries.
He appealed, “I ask the organised private sector to support President Tinubu and this administration in carrying these reforms through.
“State police, in particular, deserves your active support because its success will affect the future of businesses represented in this room.”
“The reform has now reached an important stage. On 23 October, twenty-four State Houses of Assembly had approved the constitutional amendment, meeting the required threshold,” Gbajabiamila added.
He explained that the state police framework was designed to combine greater state responsibility for policing with national professional standards and independent oversight, adding that enforceable limits and remedies had been built in to address concerns that police powers could be abused against political opponents or vulnerable communities.
On financing, the former lawmaker said any state taking on policing would need to demonstrate it could sustain the service beyond the initial purchase of vehicles and uniforms, stressing that regular pay and continued training were essential to professional conduct.
He said federal policing would continue in states not yet financially ready.
Gbajabiamila specifically asked the Nigerian Economic Summit Group to produce a private sector position paper on financing and implementing state police, with “practical proposals for accountable partnerships,” and to carry that engagement into the legislative process and into talks with state governments.
He said private sector involvement could extend to funding communications systems and equipment maintenance for police services, and helping states plan costs over the life of a service.
However, he insisted that any such contributions must be transparent and independently audited, warning that “a donation must never purchase influence over an investigation or preferential treatment.”
He linked the policing reform to the administration’s broader economic programme, citing the removal of the fuel subsidy, foreign exchange reforms and tax reforms as measures meant to strengthen government revenue, which he said depended on businesses being able to operate safely.
The Chief of Staff also highlighted other security investments under the administration, including the induction of new helicopters into Army Aviation, the return of more than 100 refurbished armoured fighting vehicles to service, the commissioning of three additional naval vessels in June to combat crude oil theft, the deployment of 10,000 Agro-Rangers across 19 states and the Federal Capital Territory, and the training of more than 7,000 Presidential Forest Guards drawn from seven frontline states.
He disclosed that President Tinubu had, in August, directed the preparation of a National Threat Assessment and a rolling five-year Strategic Defence Operations Plan to guide security spending and hold institutions accountable for delivery.
