***Bamidele says constitutional hurdle has been crossed

The National Assembly has until December 2026 to complete the remaining legislative steps towards establishing state police, Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele has said, following approval of the constitutional amendment bill by at least 30 state Houses of Assembly.

Bamidele disclosed this on Thursday while addressing participants of Senior Executive Course 48 at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, Plateau State, shifting attention to the next phase of the reform: securing the required legislative resolution and presidential assent.
The Senate Leader, who is also Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution, said the approvals had satisfied the constitutional threshold for altering the 1999 Constitution, as amended.
He described the development as a major step towards decentralising Nigeria’s security architecture after more than 15 years of unsuccessful attempts to establish state police through constitutional reform.

“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,” he said.
However, the proposed reform still requires action by the National Assembly before it can be transmitted to President Bola Tinubu for assent.
Bamidele said lawmakers would collate the reports from state legislatures, consider their positions and pass the required resolution by a simple majority in both chambers.

“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,” he said.
The timeline places the remaining legislative procedures at the centre of efforts to translate the state-level approvals into a constitutional framework for decentralised policing.
Bamidele said the proposed system would allow states to develop policing arrangements better equipped to understand local terrain, speak local languages and respond to the security concerns of their communities.

He stressed, however, that state police would not amount to the creation of state armies or an attempt to weaken the Federal Government.
Rather, he said, the reform would strengthen Nigeria’s federation through state-led, community-based policing supported by constitutional safeguards, operational standards, oversight mechanisms and human rights protections.
The Senate Leader said the security of lives, private property and public assets remained a priority for the 10th National Assembly, adding that the legislature would continue working towards the establishment of state police.
Beyond the security reform, Bamidele used the lecture to raise questions about how legislative performance should be assessed, arguing that the number of laws passed does not necessarily translate into better governance.

He said the 10th National Assembly had pursued legislation covering education, workers’ welfare, taxation, social investment, electoral administration, cybersecurity, investment regulation and regional development.
Among the laws he cited were the Student Loans (Access to Higher Education) Act, 2024; the Minimum Wage (Amendment) Act, 2024; the four Tax Reform Acts of 2025; the National Social Investment Programme Act; the Electoral Act, 2026; and the Investments and Securities Act, 2025.

According to him, such legislation can only achieve its intended objectives when supported by effective implementation, adequate funding, proper administration and regular monitoring.
“Good governance requires good laws. But good laws alone do not guarantee good governance,” he said, stressing that the ultimate measure of legislative performance should be the difference laws make in the lives of citizens.
He argued that proactive lawmaking should anticipate emerging challenges, address institutional weaknesses and provide a legal foundation for reforms before problems become more difficult to manage.

Bamidele also called for stronger collaboration between NIPSS and the National Assembly, saying the institute’s multidisciplinary approach could help lawmakers develop evidence-based policies and improve legislative foresight.
The lecture was attended by Senator Diket Plang, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Employment, Labour and Productivity; Senator Pam Dachungyang, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Tourism; NIPSS Director-General, Professor Ayo Omotayo; and former President of the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers, Adekunle Alonge.