By Anayo Akwitti
The Leader of the Senate, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, says the establishment of State Police in Nigeria has moved from rhetoric to reality, following the approval of the proposed constitutional amendment by at least 30 state Houses of Assembly.
Bamidele disclosed this on Thursday while delivering a lecture to participants of Senior Executive Course 48 at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, Jos, Plateau State.
He said the constitutional requirement for the amendment had been met, paving the way for the National Assembly to consider the reports from state assemblies and pass a resolution by a simple majority in both chambers.
According to him, the National Assembly intends to complete the remaining legislative stages and transmit the bill to President Bola Tinubu for assent on or before December 2026.
Bamidele, who is also Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution, described the development as a historic milestone in efforts to reform Nigeria’s security architecture and make policing more responsive to local needs.
He said State Police would enable the country to develop a policing system that understands local terrain, speaks local languages and remains accountable to the communities it serves.
The Senate Leader, however, clarified that the reform was not intended to weaken the Federal Government or create state armies, but to strengthen the federation through community-based policing backed by constitutional safeguards, operational standards, oversight mechanisms and human rights protections.
He added that the 10th National Assembly, under the leadership of Senate President Godswill Akpabio, remained committed to ensuring the successful establishment of State Police.
Bamidele also urged Nigerians to assess the performance of the National Assembly by the impact of its legislative interventions rather than the number of bills passed into law.
He listed 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; and the Electoral Act, 2026, among the key legislation passed by the current Assembly.
Others, he said, included the Cybercrimes (Amendment) Act, the Investments and Securities Act, 2025, the Nigerian Insurance Industry Reform Act, 2024, and the Regional Development Commissions Acts.
According to him, proactive lawmaking is essential to addressing emerging challenges, strengthening public institutions and promoting effective, accountable and development-oriented governance.
He stressed that good laws alone could not guarantee good governance, noting that legislation must be relevant, evidence-based, implementable, adequately funded, properly administered and effectively monitored to deliver tangible benefits to citizens.
Bamidele also called for stronger institutional collaboration between NIPSS and the National Assembly, saying the institute’s multidisciplinary expertise in policy, security, leadership, economics and conflict resolution could help lawmakers anticipate national challenges and develop more effective legislative responses.
The lecture, titled “Improving the Efficiency and Effectiveness of Governance through Proactive Lawmaking,” was attended by the Director-General of NIPSS, Professor Ayo Omotayo; Senator Diket Plang; Senator Pam Dachungyang; and former President of the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers, Adekunle Alonge.
