Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu has dismissed concerns over the financial viability of the proposed state police, assuring Nigerians that the National Assembly is putting in place measures to ensure sustainable funding for the new policing structure.

Kalu gave the assurance on Friday while briefing journalists in Abuja after returning from a week-long engagement at Chatham House and the London Climate Action Week in the United Kingdom.

Addressing concerns that many states may lack the financial capacity to operate their own police services, the Deputy Speaker said lawmakers were already working on mechanisms to ensure funding does not become an obstacle to the successful implementation of the initiative.

“We are looking at how to make sure that funding will not be a problem with regard to state policing because, as you know, it is like taking some of the responsibility of the Federal Governmentt for the states to handle,” he said.

According to him, the President Bola Tinubu administration has substantially increased allocations to states, giving them greater fiscal capacity to assume additional responsibilities, including policing.

“It is important to note that this current administration, which believes in federalism, has released more money to the states than ever before. So it wouldn’t be out of place if Mr. President said, ‘I’m already sending the states a lot of money. Part of it should be used for this,'” Kalu said.

He disclosed that the National Assembly was also exploring other funding options that would guarantee the sustainability of state police.

“But as Parliament, we are looking at where we can get one or two things that will help funding not to become an issue. We’ll figure it out in the coming days,” he added.

Kalu said the current legislative recess was being used to perfect the constitutional amendment bill on state police, stressing that members of the National Assembly were working to ensure the legislation adequately addresses all concerns.

“In fact, that’s one of the reasons some of us are not on holiday. Even though we are on recess, we are here cracking our heads to see how we can put the bricks properly and build the wall of that legislative enactment in a way that it will be solid enough to carry the load that is going to be on it,” he said.

Responding to fears that governors could abuse state police for political purposes, the Deputy Speaker acknowledged that such concerns were legitimate but insisted that adequate safeguards had been incorporated into the proposed constitutional amendment.

He explained that the draft legislation provides clear guardrails on the powers, duties and responsibilities of state police while prescribing national minimum operational standards that every state police service must meet.

“They can increase the standard for the state, but they cannot go below the national minimum standard,” he said, adding that state police would not be permitted to engage in partisan activities or politically motivated operations.

Kalu further disclosed that once the constitutional amendment is concluded, the National Assembly would embark on a consequential repeal and re-enactment of the Police Act to provide the legal framework for the operation of state police and address implementation concerns raised by stakeholders.

On the country’s security situation, the Deputy Speaker rejected claims that insecurity was worsening, insisting that available data indicated a gradual improvement.

“I argued that insecurity in our country is not deepening. It is declining. It is not increasing,” he said.

He noted that the number of local government areas previously under the control of insurgents had fallen from 17 to fewer than six, describing the development as evidence of the Federal Government’s sustained efforts to restore peace and security.

Kalu also said the Tinubu administration had demonstrated its commitment to tackling insecurity by increasing defence spending from about ₦2.1 trillion to more than ₦5 trillion since assuming office.

He added that the National Assembly was advocating placing defence funding on the first-line charge to ensure the timely release of funds for security operations.

According to him, these reforms formed part of the message he delivered during his engagements at Chatham House, where he sought to reassure international stakeholders about Nigeria’s improving security outlook, democratic reforms and preparations for the 2027 general elections.