State Police: NASS to transmit bill to Tinubu this week -Senator Bamidele

*Raises vital questions on the irresponsible use of social media *Receives ‘The Sun Senator of the Year’ Award *Dedicates award to God, President Tinubu, and 108 other senators By Henry Umoru ABUJA – LEADER of the Senate, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, APC, Ekiti Central has disclosed that the National Assembly will this week the State Police Bill to President Bola Tinubu for assent.

He said the National Assembly is expecting four State Houses of Assembly to turn in their reports on or before the National Assembly reconvenes on November 17, 2026, saying with this development, next week is going to be decisive and defining in the National Assembly. Bamidele said whether the remaining states turn in their reports or not, the National must move forward and fulfil the aspiration of the people.

According to Bamidele, the principle of proactive lawmaking guided the resolve of the National Assembly to pass the State Police (Constitution Alteration) Bill, which, according to him, proposed the creation of a Federal Police Service and State Police Services. The proposed constitutional amendment which is part of ongoing efforts to restructure Nigeria’s policing architecture by providing for the establishment of State Police Services, is intended to create the constitutional foundation for decentralised policing, amid continuing national discussions on how to strengthen security arrangements and improve responses to security challenges across the country.

Bamidele spoke after he received “The Sun Senator of the Year” Award for efficiently managing the business of the parliament and for his proactive approach to lawmaking, which has guided all the undertakings of the Senate since its inauguration in June 2023. In a statement from his Media Directorate on Sunday, the Senate Leader further explained that the creation of the state police service had moved from rhetoric to reality after more than 15 years of unsuccessful attempts to reform the country’s police system.

As shown in the records of the National Assembly, Bamidele revealed that no fewer than 32 State Houses of Assembly “have approved the State Police (Constitution Alteration) Bill, 2026. With this, we have successfully crossed the constitutional threshold under Section 9(2) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended). “We are now expecting four State Houses of Assembly to turn in their reports on or before the National Assembly reconvenes on November 17, 2026.

This suggests that next week is going to be decisive and defining in the National Assembly. Whether the remaining states turn in their reports or not, we must move forward and fulfil the aspiration of our people. “We are now under obligation to transmit the State Police (Constitution Alteration) Bill, 2026 to the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, His Excellency Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, for assent.

This is a responsibility we must consciously discharge on behalf of our constituents and in the interest of national peace, progress, and stability,” he explained further. Contrary to critics of the State Police bill, Bamidele clarified that the initiative was not designed to create ethnic or state armies, but was about establishing state-led, community-anchored policing within clear constitutional safeguards.

The Senate leader said as the parliament of the people, the National Assembly had pursued, consciously and conscientiously, people-centred legislation that had direct bearing on the welfare of citizens. Recall that on November 4th, the Senate announced that the proposed State Police system had crossed a major constitutional hurdle, with 30 State Houses of Assembly approving the amendment required to pave the way for its establishment, remaining six others yet to forward theirs to the National Assembly for onward transmission to the President for subsequent assent.

As at November 4th, the six states that were yet to Approve the bill for onward transmission to the National Assembly were Kano, Cross River, Abia, Niger, Benue and Oyo. The Senate however gave the six State Houses of Assembly yet to communicate their positions on the proposed constitutional amendment establishing State Police until November 15 to do so, warning that failure to respond by the deadline could be deemed as withholding approval.

The remaining six states were expected to communicate their decisions before November 15, when the National Assembly intends to forward the proposed constitutional amendment to President Bola Tinubu for subsequent. The development brought the proposed restructuring of Nigeria’s policing system closer to the final stage of the constitutional amendment process, with presidential assent expected after the National Assembly completes the necessary procedures.

Disclosing this penultimate week while updating lawmakers on the progress of consultations with the 36 state legislatures on the proposed amendment, the Senate Leader had said the number of approvals had exceeded t