Tinubu Tasks Senate on Constitutional Amendment to Establish State Police

President Bola Tinubu has formally charged the National Assembly to commence the process of amending the 1999 Constitution to accommodate the establishment of state police across Nigeria.

The president made this call on Wednesday evening during an interfaith breaking of fast session with the leadership and members of the Senate at the State House in Abuja. He emphasised that the country must urgently restructure its security framework to effectively tackle terrorism, banditry, and insurgency threatening national stability.

Addressing the legislators, Tinubu declared that the time has come to embed state policing within the constitutional framework, enabling subnational governments to take greater responsibility for securing their territories. He urged the Senate to "start thinking" about the necessary amendments that would empower states to establish and control their own police forces.

"Nigeria is extremely challenged. We are facing terrorism, banditry, insurgency, but you have never failed to make the right response to these calls," the president stated. "What I ask for tonight is for you to start thinking how best to amend the constitution to incorporate state police, so we can secure our country, take over our forests from marauders, and free our children from fear."

This latest directive follows similar comments made by the president just days earlier during an interfaith breaking of fast with state governors at the State House, where he declared that state police "cannot wait" and would not be postponed further. He had urged all stakeholders to prepare for the fundamental shift in Nigeria's security architecture.

At Wednesday's dinner with senators, Tinubu framed the proposed security reform as a constitutional obligation rooted in national unity and shared responsibility between the federal and state governments.

"What you have faced in this challenging period—the terrorism and banditry causing us havoc—requires us to pull together and unite in the way our forefathers contemplated when they established this constitutional democracy," he said. "They didn't say we should fight."

The president expressed deep appreciation to the lawmakers for their support of his administration's bold economic reforms, describing them as essential partners in the reform agenda.

"I give you much credit for these bold reforms. Without your collaboration and inspiration, those reforms would not be possible. We are reformists together," Tinubu told the gathering.

Defending the removal of petrol subsidy and the unification of foreign exchange rates, the president characterised these measures as necessary steps to halt what he described as "monumental corruption" in the system.

"What we gave up and what we stopped is monumental corruption in subsidy. We gave it up. We don't want to participate in monumental corruption or arbitrage in foreign exchange," he stressed.

Tinubu maintained that these difficult decisions have laid the foundation for economic stability and future prosperity, urging Nigerians to look beyond present hardships toward the long-term benefits.

"You don't have to chase anybody for dollars anymore. You should be proud of what Nigeria is becoming today. What we are enjoying is a stable economy, with prosperity beckoning on us. We just need to work hard for it," he added.

Responding to criticisms from opposition figures, the president dismissed allegations that he was suppressing dissenting voices, retorting: "When they accused me of killing opposition, I didn't have a gun. I cannot blame anybody for jumping out of a sinking ship if they did."

He described the coinciding observance of Ramadan by Muslims and Lent by Christians as symbolic of national unity, calling for continued harmony between the executive and legislative arms of government.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio, speaking on behalf of the lawmakers, assured the president of the red chamber's unwavering loyalty and cooperation. He pledged that executive bills would continue to receive prompt attention.

"We have nothing to give you except to assure you of our loyalty. I am sure you have noticed that nothing you have ever sent to us died at first reading, and it will never happen," Akpabio vowed.

The Senate President explained that the chamber painstakingly reviews executive proposals to ensure they serve the national interest, even when such measures initially attract public criticism. He commended Tinubu's tax reforms, foreign exchange unification, fuel subsidy removal, and the recent electoral law amendment.

Akpabio expressed optimism that Nigeria would be significantly more prosperous by 2031 under the president's leadership and offered prayers for peace amid what he termed "troubles and sponsored insecurity" in parts of the country.