Presidency seeks private sector funding for state police
The Presidency has urged businesses and industry groups to support the funding and implementation of state police, saying 24 State Houses of Assembly have approved the constitutional amendment required to establish the proposed system.
Femi Gbajabiamila, Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu and chairman of the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill, made the appeal on Monday at the 32nd Nigerian Economic Summit in Abuja.
Speaking during a panel session on “Security, Stability and Economic Resilience” at the Congress Hall of Transcorp Hilton, Gbajabiamila said the proposed policing reform had reached a critical stage, with the required number of state legislatures approving the constitutional amendment as of October 23.
He disclosed that the Presidential Working Group had submitted the draft National Policing Bill and 29 consequential amendment bills to the Federal Ministry of Justice on October 19.
According to him, the proposals will be forwarded to Tinubu for approval before being transmitted to the National Assembly following further review.
Gbajabiamila urged business associations and chambers of commerce to publicly support the reform and engage governors and state lawmakers to facilitate its implementation.
He argued that insecurity already imposes significant costs on businesses through expenditure on private security, disrupted deliveries and other operational challenges.
“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.”
On funding, Gbajabiamila said states seeking to establish their own police services must demonstrate the capacity to sustain them beyond the initial procurement of vehicles, uniforms and other equipment.
