The Presidency has urged the organised private sector to support the funding and implementation of the proposed state police system, disclosing that 24 State Houses of Assembly have approved the constitutional amendment required to establish it.
The Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, Femi Gbajabiamila, made the appeal on Monday while speaking on a panel titled “Security, Stability and Economic Resilience” at the 32nd Nigerian Economic Summit in Abuja.
Gbajabiamila, who chairs the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill, said the involvement of businesses would be critical to the sustainability of the proposed policing structure and the protection of economic activities across the country.
He called on business associations and chambers of commerce to publicly endorse the reform and engage governors and state lawmakers to ensure its successful implementation.
“I ask the organised private sector to support President Tinubu and this administration in carrying these reforms through,” he said.
“State police, in particular, deserves your active support because its success will affect the future of businesses represented in this room.”
Providing an update on the legislative process, Gbajabiamila disclosed that 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.
He said the proposals would be forwarded to Tinubu for approval before being transmitted to the National Assembly, following further review.
The Chief of Staff said 24 State Houses of Assembly had approved the constitutional amendment as of October 23, describing the development as a significant step towards establishing state police.
“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,” he said.
Gbajabiamila explained that the proposed framework was designed to give states greater responsibility for policing while retaining national professional standards and independent oversight.
He said safeguards and enforceable remedies had also been incorporated into the proposals to address concerns that state police could be used to intimidate political opponents or target vulnerable communities.
On funding, the presidential aide warned that states seeking to establish their own police services must demonstrate the financial capacity to sustain their operations beyond the initial purchase of vehicles, uniforms and other equipment.
He stressed that adequate and regular salaries, continuous training and operational support would be essential to maintaining professionalism and preventing abuses.
According to him, the Federal Government’s policing structure would remain available in states that were not financially prepared to establish and maintain their own police services.
Gbajabiamila specifically urged the Nigerian Economic Summit Group to develop a private sector position paper outlining practical ways businesses could contribute to the financing and implementation of state police.
He said the proposals should address accountable partnerships and form part of consultations with lawmakers and state governments during the legislative process.
The proposed private sector involvement, he explained, could include financing police communications infrastructure, supporting equipment maintenance and helping state governments develop long-term operational budgets.
However, he cautioned that such contributions must be subject to transparency and independent auditing to prevent private interests from influencing police operations.
“A donation must never purchase influence over an investigation or preferential treatment,” he warned.
The Chief of Staff linked the proposed policing reform to the Tinubu administration’s broader economic agenda, including fuel subsidy removal, foreign exchange reforms and tax reforms, arguing that improved security was essential to ensuring businesses could operate effectively.
He maintained that economic growth and investor confidence depended partly on the government’s ability to provide a secure environment for commercial activities, protect supply chains and reduce disruptions caused by insecurity.
Gbajabiamila also outlined other security measures undertaken by the administration, including the induction of new helicopters into Army Aviation and the return of more than 100 refurbished armoured fighting vehicles to operational service.
He added that three additional naval vessels were commissioned in June to strengthen efforts against crude oil theft.
Other measures cited included the deployment of 10,000 Agro-Rangers across 19 states and the Federal Capital Territory, as well as the training of more than 7,000 Presidential Forest Guards drawn from seven frontline states.
The presidential aide further disclosed that Tinubu directed the preparation of a National Threat Assessment and a rolling five-year Strategic Defence Operations Plan in August.
He said the documents were intended to guide security expenditure, improve strategic planning and strengthen accountability among security institutions.
The proposed state police system is part of broader efforts to restructure Nigeria’s policing arrangements by giving state governments a more direct role in addressing local security challenges while establishing safeguards against political interference and abuse of power.
