President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has inaugurated a Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill, appointing his Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, as chairman. The committee is tasked with preparing the legal framework for implementing state police across Nigeria.
Committee Composition and Mandate
The committee includes the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi; the President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA); the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF); the National Security Adviser; the Inspector-General of Police; and the Chairman of the NGF Committee on State Police. A secretariat will provide administrative support.
President Tinubu inaugurated the panel at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Tuesday, July 7, 2026. He stated: “The Working Group has been constituted to produce a technically robust, implementation-ready draft National Policing Bill for transmission to the National Assembly.”
Governors’ Support for Community Policing
Speaking on behalf of the NGF, Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State pledged governors’ support for the speedy implementation of the reform. Abiodun described the proposed state police as a response to Nigerians’ long-standing demand for community-based policing. “This bill has answered the cries of Nigerians about cascading policing and removing it from the Exclusive Legislative List,” he said.
The announcement comes amid controversy surrounding a fake presidential agency scandal, which has drawn criticism from former Minister Solomon Dalung. Dalung questioned how a fictitious agency allegedly entered the national budget, operated from the Federal Secretariat, and obtained a CBN account undetected. He called on the Presidency to release documentary evidence and official records explaining institutional failures.
Public Reactions
Nigerians have reacted on social media to Tinubu’s assignment to Gbajabiamila. @MrWaleIbrahim commented: “This demonstrates that the President has so much confidence in his CoS and knows his value in the administration. In the middle of the controversy of the Adeyemi saga, the CoS was made the chairman of this important National Assignment.”
@Yaxxolalah wrote: “The mere mention of Femi Gbajabiamila as the chairman of this police committee has made every action a nullity, null & void.”
@Demchille stated: “By all standards, Femi Gbajabiamila should not be moving freely; the man should have stepped aside for investigations. But this Government is very corrupt, so what can we say?”
@StephenE62968 noted: “The debate has moved beyond whether state police should exist. The focus is now on the legal safeguards that will determine how they operate.”
Background on Fake Agency Controversy
The Nigerian Senate has distanced itself from the ₦1.3 billion budget controversy over a non-existent council. Senate spokesperson Yemi Adaramodu clarified legislators' non-responsibility for government appointee checks. The National Assembly will not intervene in the agency director-general dispute currently before the courts.
Former Minister Solomon Dalung criticised the Presidency's response defending Gbajabiamila over the alleged fake presidential agency scandal. He questioned how a fictitious agency allegedly entered the national budget, operated from the Federal Secretariat, and obtained a CBN account undetected. He called on the Presidency to release documentary evidence, timelines, and official records explaining institutional failures in the matter.
