Nigerians clamouring for state police may have to wait a little longer as the process of amending the 1999 constitution to make the initiative possible may take two years.
The constitution amendment process is expected to run from January 2024 to December 2025, according to the work plan unveiled by the committee on constitution review chaired by the Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu.
The Chairman of the House Committee on Rules and Business, Francis Waive, in an interview on Monday, said like other issues relating to review of the constitution, amendment of the Nigeria Police Act to accommodate state police would take two years.
Waive also said the House of Representatives Committee on Constitution Review planned to meet with state governors, traditional rulers, and leaders of faith-based organisations in June on the state police bill.
In a demonstration of its seriousness, the Federal Government had on February 15 constituted a committee which included governors, to explore the possibility of creating state police to address the worsening security situation in the country which had defied various measures, including troop deployment across the country.
The police bill, sponsored by Kalu and 14 others, passed the second reading on February 20, 2024.
It seeks among others, to alter the relevant sections of the 1999 constitution to pave the way for states to establish their policing outfits.
Titled, ‘A Bill for an Act to alter the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 to Provide for Establishment of State Police and Related Matters,’ the bill puts the police on the concurrent list.
In the 1999 constitution, policing is on the Exclusive Legislative List and therefore, under the direct control of the Federal Government.
The bill comprises 18 clauses and aims to amend sections 34, 35, 39, 42, 84, 89, 129, 153, 197, 214, 215 and 216 of the constitution.
According to the work plan obtained by newsmen on Monday, the engagement in June will involve “Meeting with all 36 state governors to solicit their support for the amendment when the bill gets to the states assembly.”
The engagement with the governors was also meant to seek their support for the passage of the controversial local government autonomy bill.
Before then, the committee will meet with civil society groups, citizens and marginalized groups and this would be coordinated by the Constitution Review Committee and the Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre.
While highlighting key issues for amendment at the inauguration of the committee, Kalu had solicited memoranda from the executive and judicial bodies, state governments, women groups, academics, civil society organisations, labour unions, professional bodies, ethnic nationalities, Nigerians in the diaspora, diplomats and the general public on the federal structure and power devolution; local government/local government autonomy; public revenue, fiscal federalism, and revenue allocation; Nigeria police and Nigerian security architecture; comprehensive judicial and electoral reforms, among other areas.
Speaking with newsmen on the police bill on Monday, Chairman of the House Committee on Rules and Business, Waive, explained that being a constitutional matter, it would be difficult to put a date of passage to the state police bill, adding, however, that the Constitution Review Committee had rolled out its two year-work plan.
He said, “That (state police) is a constitutional matter. After the second reading, the bill was referred to the Constitution Review Committee like all other constitutional amendment issues. The committee has rolled out its two-year work plan.
“The entire constitution amendment process has a two-year life span from January 2024 to December 2025.”
On the expected input from the National Economic Council chaired by Vice President Kashim Shettima, a source in the Office of the Deputy Speaker, who craved anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the media on any constitutional amendment issues, said, “The NEC may have already submitted input to the committee. You know that the invitation for memoranda covers key government functionaries and the entire public.”
Although more state governments have submitted their reports on the establishment of state police, it could not be confirmed if the NEC would meet this Thursday, April 18.
At its 140th meeting held at the Aso Rock Villa on March 21, the Council received reports from 16 state governors expressing their support for establishing the state police.
They also recommended changes to the constitution to allow for the creation of state police.