State Police Must Guarantee Salaries, Training Before Take-off – Gbajabiamila

Femi Gbajabiamila, Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, says states seeking to establish their own police forces must demonstrate the capacity to pay officers’ salaries and sustain regular training before commencing operations.

Gbajabiamila stated this on Monday during a session on security, stability and economic resilience at the 32nd Nigerian Economic Summit.

He said the proposed state police framework would require states to provide credible funding for recurrent expenditure beyond the initial costs of vehicles, uniforms and other equipment.

According to him, inadequate funding could expose officers to undue influence, unlawful demands and other forms of misconduct.

“Regular pay and continued training are essential to professional conduct,” he said, adding that federal policing would remain in place in states not yet prepared to operate their own forces.

Gbajabiamila said military operations could dislodge armed groups but sustained community policing was necessary to identify threats, investigate crimes and restore public confidence.

He explained that effective policing would also help residents return to affected communities and enable businesses to resume operations.

The Chief of Staff said state police was part of the Tinubu administration’s broader security reform agenda, designed to allow willing and capable states to assume greater responsibility for public safety.

He said decentralising policing could improve local intelligence gathering and reduce response times when residents report security threats.

However, he stressed that the Federal Government would retain an essential policing role, particularly in tackling crimes that cross state boundaries and matters requiring specialised national capacity.

Gbajabiamila disclosed that 24 state Houses of Assembly had approved the constitutional amendment required for the proposed reform as of October 23.

He also said the Presidential Working Group on State Police, which he chairs, submitted a draft national policing bill and 29 consequential amendment bills to the Federal Ministry of Justice on October 19.

According to him, the proposals would be forwarded to President Tinubu for approval before being transmitted to the National Assembly.

He said the proposed framework was designed to expand states’ responsibilities for public safety while maintaining national professional standards and independent oversight.

Gbajabiamila acknowledged concerns that state police could be used to intimidate political opponents or target vulnerable communities.

He said the framework would introduce enforceable limits on police powers and provide remedies for abuses.

“The concern that police powers could be used against political opponents or vulnerable communities is serious,” he said.

He added that citizens’ access to protection must not be determined by their political affiliations or places of origin.

“A citizen’s entitlement to protection cannot depend on whom he supports or where she comes from,” he said.