Bamidele: State Police Moves From Rhetoric to Reality, 30 States Approve Bill

Leader of the Nigerian Senate, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, on Thursday disclosed that State Police has become a reality, as all constitutional requirements for its establishment under the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), have been adequately met.

Bamidele, who is also Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution, argued that the National Assembly should be assessed based on the impact of its initiatives and interventions rather than the number of bills it processes and passes into law.

He made this disclosure while delivering a lecture to participants of the Senior Executive Course (SEC) 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,” was aimed at reflecting on the centrality of lawmaking to public governance.

Those in attendance included 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, Prof. Ayo Omotayo; and former President of the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers, Mr. Adekunle Alonge.

Delivering the lecture, Bamidele described the approval of the State Police Constitution Alteration Bill, 2026, by no fewer than 30 states as a historic milestone in the country’s collective quest to re-engineer its security architecture and make it more responsive, local and effective.

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He noted that, with the constitutional threshold now met, the responsibility rests on the National Assembly to collate the positions of the State Houses of Assembly and pass a resolution by a simple majority of members in both chambers.

“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.

“By the provision of Section 9(2) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which requires the concurrence of not less than two-thirds of all State Houses of Assembly, the constitutional requirement for the alteration has been duly met. This is a historic milestone in our collective quest to re-engineer our security architecture and make it more responsive, more local, and more effective.

“What happens next is procedural, but critical. The National Assembly is now constitutionally obligated to consider the reports transmitted by the State Houses of Assembly, collate those reports, and pass a resolution by simple majority of members in both chambers. Once this resolution is passed, the Alteration Bill will be transmitted to the President and Commander-in-Chief for assent.

“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,” the Senate Leader emphasised.

Bamidele said the establishment of State Police was no longer a campaign promise or a subject of endless debate, following more than 15 years of unsuccessful attempts in the National Assembly.

“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 said.

He added that Nigeria could now develop a policing system that understands local terrain, speaks local languages, respects local realities and remains accountable to local communities.

Bamidele assured Nigerians that the reform was not intended to weaken the centre but to strengthen the federation. He explained that the initiative was not about creating state armies but establishing state-led, community-anchored policing within clear constitutional safeguards, operational standards, oversight mechanisms and human rights protections.

He said the National Assembly, under the leadership of the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, remained committed to ensuring the establishment of State Police.

“The National Assembly, under the leadership of the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, remains committed to delivering on the establishment of State Police. 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 said.

Impact, Not Numbers, Defines 10th NASS
At the lecture, Bamidele also noted that the 10th National Assembly had deliberately pursued strategic, people-centred legislation with a direct impact on citizens’ welfare.

He explained that the current National Assembly had passed several strategic laws expected to improve the lives of Nigerians.

“Among them are the Student Loans (Access to Higher Education) Act, 2024, which guarantees access to higher education for indigent students, the Minimum Wage (Amendment) Act, 2024, the four Tax Reform Acts of 2025, and the National Social Investment Programme Act.

“Others include the Electoral Act, 2026, the Cybercrimes (Amendment) Act, the Investments and Securities Act, 2025, the Nigerian Insurance Industry Reform Act, 2024, and the Regional Development Commissions Acts. In addition, work is ongoing on the State Police Constitution Alteration Bill.”

Bamidele described these legislative achievements as products of proactive lawmaking, which he said offered Nigeria a pathway to more effective, efficient, accountable and development-oriented governance.

According to him, anticipating emerging challenges, addressing structural weaknesses, strengthening public institutions and creating legal frameworks for innovation and reform would enable the Legislature to move the country from a reactive approach to a strategic and preventive model of governance.

He stressed that proactive lawmaking had implications for national security, economic transformation, public financial management, electoral credibility, education, healthcare, technological innovation, environmental sustainability and intergovernmental relations.

Bamidele Advocates Stronger NIPSS-NASS Collaboration
On the partnership between NIPSS and the National Assembly, Bamidele said the institute had an important role to play in transforming governance through legislative foresight and stronger institutional collaboration.

“NIPSS has a special role to play in this transformation. The Institute has demonstrated capacity to bring together experienced Nigerians from the public sector, military, private sector, academia and other strategic institutions.

“Its Senior Executive Course is designed around policy, strategy, leadership, economics, international relations, security, science and technology, and peace and conflict studies. This multidisciplinary character makes NIPSS uniquely positioned to contribute to legislative foresight. I would, therefore, encourage stronger institutional collaboration between NIPSS and the National Assembly,” he said.

Good Laws Alone Do Not Guarantee Good Governance

Bamidele also highlighted the importance of making good laws, while stressing that good legislation did not automatically translate into good governance in any democracy.

He observed that effective governance required laws that were relevant, evidence-based, implementable, adequately funded, properly administered, effectively monitored and periodically reviewed.

“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.