The National Assembly is set to begin the final legislative stage of the state police bill, as both the Senate and the House of Representatives prepare to reconcile differing versions of the constitutional amendment. While the House passed its version on June 10 and the Senate followed with its own on June 24, the two chambers must now align their drafts to produce a unified document for transmission to the 36 State Houses of Assembly….See More
The divergence between the two versions involves several technical and structural amendments. The Senate’s bill consists of 26 clauses, compared to the 18 clauses in the House version, with notable differences in the proposed updates to the Constitution. Specifically, the chambers have adopted different titles, naming conventions, and sub-clauses regarding the appointment, command structure, and oversight of state-level police forces.
For instance, the Senate has proposed designating the head of a state police command as “Commander,” whereas the House version retains the traditional “Commissioner of Police” title. Furthermore, the Senate version incorporates extensive transitional provisions and deeper amendments to the Second, Third, and Fourth Schedules of the Constitution, which the House version does not include.
Benjamin Kalu, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives and Chairman of the House Committee on Constitution Review, emphasized that these differences are primarily technical. “There is nothing fundamental. But we must be in tandem for it to become a unified piece of legislation from the National Assembly,” Kalu stated.
Following the National Assembly’s resumption from recess on July 7, a conference committee will be constituted to finalize the document. Leadership expects the process to be swift, with plans to ceremonially hand over the finalized bill to the Speakers of the State Houses of Assembly immediately upon completion.
To become law, the bill must secure approval from at least two-thirds of the 36 State Houses of Assembly before returning to President Bola Tinubu for his assent. State-level support appears robust, with Governors such as Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State already signaling readiness to operationalize the new security architecture.
Kalu reiterated that the legislation includes stringent safeguards to prevent political overreach. He noted that the National Police Council will establish mandatory minimum standards for all states, ensuring that any police service established is professional, accountable, and capable of maintaining national security benchmarks….See More
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