State Police: Bago, Tompolo, Elumelu, others to speak on bill at House Press Corps lecture

The debate over establishing state police in Nigeria will take centre stage in Abuja on Tuesday, 6 October, as the House of Representatives Press Corps brings together policymakers, lawmakers, security experts, and other stakeholders to examine the proposed reform.

The discussion will form the centrepiece of the second annual Distinguished Parliamentarian Lecture and Awards organised by the corps.

The event, themed “The Imperative for State Police: Securing Communities, Strengthening Federalism,” is scheduled to begin at 10:00 a.m. at the National Assembly Library Auditorium, Abuja.

The lecture comes weeks after the Constitution Alteration Bill, which seeks to establish State Police Services, was transmitted to the 36 State Houses of Assembly for consideration.

The proposed amendment seeks to decentralise policing by allowing states to establish and operate their own police services, a move its proponents say could improve responses to security threats that are specific to local communities.

Nnadubem Moghalu, secretary of the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill and Senior Special Assistant to the President on Planning and Research, is expected to deliver the lecture titled “State Police, Community Security and the Future of Federalism in Nigeria.”

His presentation is expected to examine the proposed policing structure and its implications for community security, federalism and the relationship between state and federal security institutions.

The discussion is also expected to address questions around funding, recruitment, training, operational independence, accountability and oversight, as well as safeguards against possible abuse of state-controlled police structures.

Among the speakers and participants expected at the event are Niger State Governor Mohammed Bago; founder and Chairman of Tantita Security Services Nigeria Ltd, Government Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo; and former Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Ndudi Elumelu.

Messrs Bago and Ekpemupolo are expected to bring perspectives from state governance and community security, including issues surrounding the protection of critical national assets.

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Abbas Tajudeen, will serve as chief host and is expected to speak on the 10th House position on state police and other security-related legislation before the National Assembly.

The Deputy Speaker, Benjamin Kalu, is also expected to attend.

READ ALSO: Plateau Assembly begins consideration of State Police Bill, demands urgent actions on insecurity

Other dignitaries expected at the event include the Clerk to the National Assembly, Kamoru Ogunlana; Chairman of the House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Akin Rotimi; Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, FCT Council, Grace Ike; as well as representatives of the Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre, Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation, Nigerian Communications Commission and development partners.

The event will also feature the presentation of the House of Representatives Press Corps Distinguished Parliamentarian Awards to Governor Bago and Mr Ekpemupolo.

Mr Bago will receive an award for his contributions to rural development and public leadership, while Mr Ekpemupolo will receive an Award of Excellence in National Assets Protection.

Chairman of the House of Representatives Press Corps, Gboyega Onadiran, said the annual lecture was created to provide a platform for informed discussion on issues of national importance.

Mr Onadiran said choosing state police as the focus of this year’s lecture reflected the issue’s significance to Nigeria’s security and the broader debate over policing and federalism.

He said the press corps also sought to encourage engagement among the legislature, the security sector, the media, and the wider public on major national issues.