Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, has disclosed that not less than 30 state Houses of Assembly have accepted the State Police Constitution Alteration Bill, 2026, with the National Assembly focusing on December 2026 to finish the remaining legislative processes and transmit the invoice to the President for assent.
Bamidele, who can be Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution, described the event as a historic milestone in Nigeria’s efforts to restructure its safety structure and set up a extra responsive policing system.
He, nonetheless, maintained that the efficiency of the tenth National Assembly ought to be measured by the influence of its legislative initiatives and interventions on Nigerians relatively than the variety of payments handed into regulation.
The Senate Leader spoke on Thursday whereas delivering a lecture titled “Improving the Efficiency and Effectiveness of Governance through Proactive Lawmaking” to individuals of Senior Executive Course 48 on the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, Jos, Plateau State.
The lecture examined the function of proactive lawmaking in enhancing governance, strengthening public establishments and addressing the nation’s improvement challenges.
Bamidele stated the approval of the State Police Constitution Alteration Bill by not less than 30 state assemblies had glad the constitutional threshold required for the proposed modification, paving the way in which for the National Assembly to finish the remaining levels.
“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 stated.
According to him, Section 9(2) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, requires the concurrence of not less than two-thirds of all state Houses of Assembly for a constitutional alteration.
He described the event as a big step in direction of making Nigeria’s safety structure extra aware of native wants.
“This is a historic milestone in our collective quest to re-engineer our security architecture and make it more responsive, more local, and more effective,” he stated.
The Senate Leader defined that the National Assembly was anticipated to think about and collate the reviews transmitted by the state assemblies earlier than passing a decision by a easy majority in each chambers.
He stated the invoice would subsequently be transmitted to the President and Commander-in-Chief for assent after the required legislative processes had been accomplished.
“What occurs subsequent is procedural, however essential. The National Assembly is now constitutionally obligated to think about the reviews transmitted by the State Houses of Assembly, collate these reviews, and go a decision by easy majority of members in each chambers.
“Once this resolution is passed, the Alteration Bill will be transmitted to the President and Commander-in-Chief for assent,” Bamidele stated.
He disclosed that the National Assembly had set a December 2026 deadline for finishing the remaining legislative levels.
“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 added.
Bamidele stated the proposed reform would tackle longstanding requires a decentralised policing system able to responding extra successfully to safety challenges throughout the nation.
“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. It means that the security of lives, private property and public assets occupies a prime place in the legislative agenda of the 10th National Assembly,” he stated.
He defined that state police would allow Nigeria to develop a policing system that understands native terrain, speaks native languages, respects group realities and stays accountable to native populations.
The Senate Leader confused that the reform was not meant to weaken the Federal Government however to strengthen Nigeria’s federal construction.
According to him, the proposal shouldn’t be about creating state armies however establishing state-led, community-based policing programs working inside clearly outlined constitutional safeguards, operational requirements, oversight mechanisms and human rights protections.
Bamidele stated the National Assembly, below the management of Senate President Godswill Akpabio, remained dedicated to finishing the method.
He added that the legislature would maintain its efforts in direction of enhancing safety throughout the nation.
“We will not falter until every Nigerian, whether in Kuru, in Iyin-Ekiti, in Gusau or in Yenagoa, can sleep with both eyes closed,” he stated.
On the efficiency of the tenth National Assembly, Bamidele stated the legislature had intentionally pursued strategic, people-centred laws aimed toward enhancing residents’ welfare and strengthening public establishments.
He argued that the effectiveness of the National Assembly shouldn’t be decided solely by the quantity of payments handed however by the extent to which its legislative interventions enhance the lives of Nigerians.
According to him, the present Assembly has handed a number of legal guidelines meant to handle essential points affecting schooling, employees’ welfare, taxation, social safety and financial improvement.
He listed the Student Loans (Access to Higher Education) Act, 2024; the Minimum Wage (Amendment) Act, 2024; the 4 Tax Reform Acts of 2025; and the National Social Investment Programme Act among the many laws pursued by the Assembly.
Others, he stated, included the Electoral Act, 2026, the Cybercrimes (Amendment) Act, the Investments and Securities Act, 2025, the Nigerian Insurance Industry Reform Act, 2024, and the Regional Development Commissions Acts.
He added that the continued constitutional alteration course of for state police shaped a part of the legislature’s efforts to handle rising nationwide challenges.
Bamidele described the legislative interventions as merchandise of proactive lawmaking, which he stated might assist transfer Nigeria in direction of a extra environment friendly, accountable and development-oriented governance system.
“Proactive lawmaking offers Nigeria a pathway to more effective, efficient, accountable and development-oriented governance,” he stated.
He defined that by anticipating rising challenges, addressing structural weaknesses, strengthening public establishments and establishing authorized frameworks for innovation and reform, the legislature might shift governance from a reactive strategy to a extra strategic and preventive mannequin.
Bamidele famous that the influence of proactive lawmaking prolonged to nationwide safety, financial transformation, public monetary administration, electoral credibility, schooling, healthcare, technological innovation, environmental sustainability and intergovernmental relations.
He confused that laws ought to be designed to handle rising issues earlier than they escalate into main nationwide challenges.
The Senate Leader additionally known as for stronger institutional collaboration between NIPSS and the National Assembly to enhance legislative foresight, analysis and evidence-based policymaking.
He described NIPSS as strategically positioned to contribute to nationwide improvement due to its skill to convey collectively skilled Nigerians from the general public sector, army, non-public sector, academia and different strategic establishments.
“NIPSS has a special role to play in this transformation. The Institute has demonstrated capacity to bring together experienced Nigerians from the public sector, military, private sector, academia and other strategic institutions,” he stated.
He famous that the institute’s Senior Executive Course coated coverage, technique, management, economics, worldwide relations, safety, science and expertise, in addition to peace and battle research.
According to him, the multidisciplinary nature of the programme makes NIPSS an essential companion in strengthening legislative foresight and creating coverage responses to Nigeria’s governance challenges.
“I would, therefore, encourage stronger institutional collaboration between NIPSS and the National Assembly,” he stated.
Bamidele additional emphasised that the passage of fine legal guidelines alone couldn’t assure good governance, arguing that efficient implementation and common analysis have been equally essential.
“Good governance requires good laws. But good laws alone do not guarantee good governance,” he stated.
He defined that legal guidelines have to be related, evidence-based, implementable, adequately funded, correctly administered, successfully monitored and periodically reviewed.
The Senate Leader maintained that the last word worth of laws ought to be measured by its influence on residents.
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