Senate President Godswill Akpabio has disclosed that the National Assembly is considering the establishment of a national commission to oversee state policing operations as part of ongoing efforts to introduce state police across Nigeria.
Akpabio made the revelation while speaking with journalists after leading National Assembly leaders on an Eid-el-Kabir visit to President Bola Tinubu in Lagos.
According to the Senate President, the proposed commission would be responsible for regulating recruitment, promotions, training and operational standards within state police formations to ensure professionalism and accountability.
“We are looking at ways of creating a positive and not a negative state police, and something that can have a national state police commission that will regulate the conduct of state policing, promotion, training and all that,” Akpabio said.
He explained that the National Assembly is collaborating closely with President Tinubu to develop a workable framework that would allow states to play a greater role in protecting lives and property.
“We believe that working with him, the National Assembly can come up with a framework that will enable the states to also partake in securing the lives and properties of the citizens,” he added.
Akpabio further revealed that lawmakers are considering measures to strengthen the Nigeria Police Trust Fund by increasing its allocation from the Federation Account from 0.5 per cent to one per cent. The additional funding, he said, would help improve police infrastructure, equipment and operational capacity.
While acknowledging that insecurity remains a major challenge, the Senate President maintained that the country’s security situation has improved under the current administration.
“There is no part of Nigeria today where the flag of any insurgent, whether Boko Haram or otherwise, is being hoisted,” he said. “All those organised bomb blasts everywhere have been brought to an end.”
He noted, however, that security forces continue to contend with attacks on vulnerable targets, including schools, churches and mosques, describing the incidents as a form of guerrilla warfare.
Akpabio also commended President Tinubu’s economic reforms, arguing that the administration inherited an economy weighed down by fuel subsidy payments, multiple exchange rate regimes and extensive government borrowing.
“We appreciated Mr President for his reforms, which have done a lot to reposition Nigeria on a trajectory of growth,” he said.
The Senate President further praised the government’s tax reform agenda and major infrastructure projects, including the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and the Lagos-Badagry-Sokoto corridor, describing them as transformative initiatives capable of improving connectivity, boosting agricultural production and stimulating economic growth.
He also stressed the need to increase Nigeria’s crude oil output to enhance foreign exchange earnings, particularly as refining capacity expands with the operations of the Dangote Refinery.
“We need to improve production to enable us also export and earn foreign exchange to put into other sectors of the economy,” Akpabio stated.
