Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele said the establishment of state police is becoming a reality after at least 30 State Houses of Assembly approve the proposed constitutional amendment.
He said the National Assembly would complete the remaining legislative steps and transmit the Constitution Alteration Bill to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for assent on or before December 2026.
Bamidele spoke on Thursday while delivering a lecture titled ‘Improving the Efficiency and Effectiveness of Governance through Proactive Lawmaking’ to participants in Senior Executive Course 48 at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) Kuru Plateau State.
The Senate Leader who is also Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution described the development as a significant milestone in efforts to reform Nigeria’s security architecture.
‘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.
According to Bamidele the approvals have satisfied the constitutional requirement under Section 9(2) of the 1999 Constitution as amended that at least two-thirds of state Houses of Assembly support a constitutional alteration.
He explained that the National Assembly would collate the reports from the state legislatures and pass a resolution by a simple majority in both chambers before transmitting the bill to the President for assent.
‘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.
Bamidele described the proposed reform as a major step towards developing a policing system that responds more effectively to local security challenges.
‘What this means is that state police is no longer a campaign promise or a subject of endless debate. It is now a constitutional reality’ he said.
He stressed that the reform was not intended to weaken the Federal Government but to strengthen the federation through community-based policing supported by constitutional safeguards operational standards oversight mechanisms and human rights protections.
‘It is not about creating state armies but about creating state-led community-anchored policing within clear constitutional safeguards’ he said.
The Senate Leader added that the National Assembly under Senate President Godswill Akpabio remained committed to completing the process.
‘We will not falter until every Nigerian whether in Kuru Iyin-Ekiti Gusau or Yenagoa can sleep with both eyes closed’ he said.
Bamidele also urged Nigerians to assess the National Assembly by the impact of its legislation on citizens rather than the number of bills passed.
He said proactive lawmaking required legislators to anticipate emerging challenges address institutional weaknesses and create legal frameworks that support economic development and effective governance.
‘The 10th National Assembly has passed strategic legislation that will positively impact the lives of Nigerians’ he said.
He cited the Student Loans (Access to Higher Education) Act 2024; the Minimum Wage (Amendment) Act 2024; the four Tax Reform Acts of 2025; and the National Social Investment Programme Act as measures pursued by the current legislature.
Others he said included the Electoral Act 2026; the Cybercrimes (Amendment) Act; the Investments and Securities Act 2025; the Nigerian Insurance Industry Reform Act 2024; and legislation establishing regional development commissions.
According to him these measures demonstrate the role of proactive legislation in addressing national security economic transformation education healthcare electoral credibility and public financial management.
He however cautioned that passing laws was only one part of the governance process stressing the need for effective implementation monitoring and periodic review.
‘Good governance requires good laws. But good laws alone do not guarantee good governance’ he said.
‘We require laws that are relevant evidence-based implementable adequately funded properly administered effectively monitored periodically reviewed and ultimately measured by their impact on citizens.’
The Senate Leader called for stronger institutional collaboration between the National Assembly and NIPSS to improve legislative foresight policy development and governance.
He commended the institute for bringing together professionals from the public sector the military the private sector academia and other strategic institutions to examine national policy challenges.
Bamidele said the multidisciplinary nature of NIPSS’s Senior Executive Course positioned the institute to contribute meaningfully to legislative research strategic planning and evidence-based policymaking.
He urged both institutions to deepen their partnership to ensure that legislation addresses emerging challenges and delivers measurable improvements in Nigerians’ lives.
The lecture was attended by the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Employment Labour and Productivity Senator Diket Plang; the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Tourism Senator Pam Dachungyang; the Director-General of NIPSS Professor Ayo Omotayo; and the former President of the Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers Adekunle Alonge.