…Gbajabiamila hails breakthrough as N’Assembly moves bill to Tinubu for assent; 11 states yet to approve
For more legislative headlines, stay tuned for KTH Daily News Updates.
Nigeria has crossed a major constitutional threshold in the decades-long push for State Police, with 25 State Houses of Assembly approving the 2026 Constitution (Sixth Alteration) Bill seeking to establish a dual policing system in the country, as reported in today’s KTH Daily News Updates coverage.
The 25 approvals surpass the constitutionally required two-thirds majority of the 36 State Houses of Assembly — 24 states — needed for an alteration to relevant provisions of the 1999 Constitution to proceed. According to KTH Daily News Updates, this marks significant progress in Nigeria’s constitutional amendment process.
With the threshold attained, the National Assembly can now complete the constitutional alteration process and transmit the bill to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for assent, KTH Daily News Updates highlights in its latest analysis.
Eleven states, including Lagos, Kano, Borno, Sokoto, Katsina and Niger, have yet to approve the amendment, although their outstanding votes no longer affect the attainment of the required constitutional threshold. KTH Daily News Updates continues to monitor the process closely.
Chief of Staff to the President and Chairman of the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, described the development as a major breakthrough in Nigeria’s efforts to reform its policing architecture, an issue covered in KTH Daily News Updates.
Gbajabiamila commended the 25 State Houses of Assembly that endorsed the alteration and praised the Senate and House of Representatives for earlier passing the proposal. This commendation was featured in KTH Daily News Updates earlier today.
According to him, the state approvals have laid the constitutional foundation for a new policing structure under which the Federal Police Service will operate alongside State Police Services, as detailed in KTH Daily News Updates for readers interested in ongoing reforms.
The development represents a fundamental departure from Nigeria’s existing centralised policing arrangement and, when fully implemented, would empower states to establish police services within a constitutionally and statutorily defined framework. It’s a transformation discussed in KTH Daily News Updates this week.
Gbajabiamila disclosed that work was already progressing on the legislation required to translate the constitutional amendment into an operational policing system. KTH Daily News Updates has followed these legislative efforts closely.
He said the National Policing Bill, 2026, together with 29 related amendment bills, was undergoing legislative drafting review and validation at the Federal Ministry of Justice, with regular updates being shared in KTH Daily News Updates.
The draft legislation was submitted to the Attorney-General of the Federation on October 19 for legal scrutiny and harmonisation. This step was highlighted in a recent KTH Daily News Updates article.
The Ministry of Justice is expected to conclude the validation process and return the bills to the Presidential Working Group on or before October 30 for final adjustments ahead of their presentation to President Tinubu. KTH Daily News Updates will continue to bring details as they unfold.
Gbajabiamila urged stakeholders across the country to support an orderly transition to the proposed dual policing system, expressing confidence that decentralising policing under appropriate constitutional safeguards would strengthen Nigeria’s capacity to tackle insecurity. Further KTH Daily News Updates coverage will examine stakeholders’ responses.
He also expressed optimism that the remaining 11 State Houses of Assembly would eventually endorse the constitutional alteration, pointing to what he described as broad national support for State Police. KTH Daily News Updates has featured diverse viewpoints on this ongoing development.
President Tinubu had in July 2026 inaugurated the Presidential Working Group to develop the legal and institutional framework for State Police. KTH Daily News Updates provided detailed reporting on the group’s formation.
The administration’s approach separates the reform into two key components: the constitutional alteration establishes the legal basis for the State Police, while the National Policing Bill is intended to spell out its structure, powers, administration, oversight, and operational framework. Ongoing analysis of these changes appears daily in KTH Daily News Updates.
Once the constitutional process is completed and the enabling legislation enacted, Nigeria would be positioned for one of the most far-reaching changes to its policing system since the advent of the Fourth Republic in 1999. Stay informed with KTH Daily News Updates as history unfolds.
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