Reps begin clause-by-clause review of state police bill 

By Gift ChapiOdekina

ABUJA-The House of Rep resentatives has begun clause-by-clause consideration of President Bola Tinubu’s executive bill seeking the establishment of state police, with lawmakers indicating they might adopt the Senate-passed version of the legislation with only minor adjustments.

Speaking at the meeting of the House Committee on Constitution Review yesterday, the Deputy Speaker of the House and Chairman of the Constitution Review Committee, Benjamin lu, said the House would lev- erage the work already done by the Senate to expedite the passage of what he described as a priority constitutional amendment aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s security architecture.

lu recalled that the House had earlier passed its own Constitution Alteration Bill on State Police on June 11 before proceeding on recess. However, lawmakers rescinded that decision on July 14, following the transmission of President Tinubu’s executive bill to enable consideration of the Pres“ou may recall that on June 11, before the recess, the House considered and passed the Police Constitution Alteration Bill.

However, following the introduction of an executive bill by the President, that decision was reversed by the House on July 14 to enable consideration of the executive cill coming from the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces,” lu said. He explained that the President, as Commander-in-Chief, was best positioned to initiate comprehensive security reforms capable of addressing the country’s evolving security challenges. According to him, the executive bill has already passed first and second readings in the House, while the extensive stakeholder engagement held during the National Assembly Open Week fulfilled the public hearing reirement for the leg- islation.

“The bill has been referred to this committee, and the committee is not just the deputy speaker and the deputy chairman. The committee is you and I. Our responsibility is to carefully scrutinise this legislation and ensure that it reflects the aspirations and expectations of the Nigerian people,” he said. lu described the proposed state police legislation as one of President Tinubu’s signature constitutional reform initiatives, noting that the President had consistently advocated a multi-layered policing system since his tenure as governor of gos State. “I must emphasise that the state police bill remains one of the signature constitutional reform initiatives of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

As governor of gos State, he was among the earliest advocates of multi-layered policing as a strategic solution to Nigeria’s security challenges. ‘’Today, as President, he is championing the same cause, demonstrating consistency between his convictions and his actions,” he stated. The deputy speaker stressed that although the executive, legislature and judiciary were separate arms of government, they remained united in pursuing national priorities, particularly improving security across the country. He said lawmakers convened on Monday esterday outside the House’s traditional Tuesday oday sitting schedule, because of the urgency attached to the legislation.

“We are here today not because it is convenient for us. Our parliamentary week ordinarily begins on Tuesday but duty calls, and time is of the essence. We are joining hands with the executive to ensure that this collaborative effort results in the successful passage of this priority constitutional amendment,” he said. lu also disclosed that both chambers of the National Assembly were working closely to harmonise their efforts and fast-track the constitutional amendment process, expressing confidence that the bill would receive presidential assent once transmitted to the President. Explaining the committee’s assignment, he said members would use the Senate-approved version of the executive bill as working document during the clause-by-clause consideration.

“The purpose of today’s es- terdaymeeting is to consider the executive bill clause by clause and make appropriate recommendations to the House. We must note that the Senate has already considered and adopted the bill with certain amendments, and copies of that version have been circulated to members. This document will serve as our working draft throughout this exercise,” he said. According to lu, the execu- tive bill is substantially similar to the version previously considered by the House, with only a few modifications. Among the additions are provisions introducing Section 31 on interpreta- tion, transitional and saving clauses to facilitate the implementation of the proposed state police framework, as well as other conseential amendments. He added that the Senate introduced about eight minor amendments, which the House Committee would examine and adopt where appropriate.

“As we proceed with this amendment process, we shall take into consideration the work already done by the Senate and adopt it where applicable,” he said. The consideration of the Executive State Police Bill marks a significant step in the ongoing constitutional amendment process as lawmakers seek to establish a constitutionally-backed multi-tier policing system aimed at improving internal security across the federation