Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, has assured Nigerians that funding will not hinder the proposed establishment of state police
Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, has assured Nigerians that funding will not hinder the proposed establishment of state police, saying the National Assembly is developing measures to guarantee sustainable financing for the new security structure.
Kalu gave the assurance on Friday while briefing journalists in Abuja after returning from a week-long engagement at Chatham House and the London Climate Action Week in the United Kingdom.
The Senate on Wednesday passed the Constitution Alteration Bill on state policing after more than two-thirds of lawmakers voted in favour during a manual voting exercise.
The proposed legislation seeks to create a state policing framework that would operate concurrently with the federal police system. Under the bill, state governors would be empowered to appoint Commissioners of Police for their respective states, subject to confirmation by the state Houses of Assembly.
Addressing concerns that some state governments may lack the financial capacity to operate state police, the Deputy Speaker said lawmakers were already refining the legislative framework to ensure adequate funding.
“We are looking at how to make sure that funding will not be a problem with regard to state policing because, as you know, it is like taking some of the responsibility of the Federal Government for the states to handle,” he said.
He argued that the administration of President Bola Tinubu had significantly increased financial allocations to states, making it feasible for them to shoulder part of the responsibility for policing.
“It is important to note that this current administration, which believes in federalism, has released more money to the states than ever before. So it wouldn’t be out of place if Mr. President said, ‘I’m already sending the states a lot of money. Part of it should be used for this,'” Kalu stated.
He added that the National Assembly was exploring additional funding options to ensure that financial constraints do not undermine the success of the initiative.
“As Parliament, we are looking at where we can get one or two things that will help funding not to become an issue. We’ll figure it out in the coming days,” he said.
Kalu disclosed that lawmakers were using the National Assembly’s recess to fine-tune the constitutional amendment and other legislative provisions required to establish state police.
According to him, members were working behind the scenes to ensure the legal framework is robust enough to support the new policing system.
“In fact, that’s one of the reasons some of us are not on holiday. Even though we are on recess, we are here cracking our heads to see how we can put the bricks properly and build the wall of that legislative enactment in a way that it will be solid enough to carry the load that is going to be on it,” he said.
On fears that governors could misuse state police for political purposes, the deputy speaker acknowledged the concerns but insisted that the proposed constitutional amendment contains sufficient safeguards to prevent abuse.
He explained that the draft legislation provides clear “guardrails” outlining the powers, duties and responsibilities of state police while prescribing national minimum operational standards that every state must comply with.
“They can increase the standard for the state, but they cannot go below the national minimum standard,” he said, adding that state police would be barred from partisan activities or politically motivated operations.
Kalu also revealed that the constitutional amendment would be followed by the repeal and re-enactment of the Police Act to establish a comprehensive legal framework for the implementation of state policing and address operational concerns raised by stakeholders.
Speaking on the country’s security situation, the deputy speaker dismissed claims that insecurity was worsening, maintaining that available data indicated a steady decline in violent incidents.
“I argued that insecurity in our country is not deepening. It is declining. It is not increasing,” he said.
He noted that the number of local government areas previously under insurgent control had fallen from 17 to fewer than six, describing the reduction as evidence of progress in ongoing security operations.
Kalu further stated that the Tinubu administration had demonstrated its commitment to improving security through increased funding for the defence sector.
According to him, defence allocations have risen from about ₦2.1 trillion to more than ₦5 trillion under the current administration.
He added that the National Assembly was advocating for defence funding to be placed on the first-line charge to ensure the timely release of resources for military and security operations.
The deputy speaker said he highlighted these reforms during his engagements at Chatham House, where he sought to reassure international stakeholders about Nigeria’s security outlook, democratic reforms and preparations for the 2027 general elections.
