•Police
The Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill has extended the deadline for the submission of memoranda and position papers on the proposed legislation to Friday, August 21, 2026, at 5:00 pm West Africa Time (WAT).
The extension, announced today, is aimed at widening stakeholder participation and giving individuals, institutions and organisations additional time to prepare substantive contributions to the proposed reform of Nigeria’s policing architecture, reports The Guardian.
The Working Group, chaired by the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, said the extension underscores its commitment to an inclusive and consultative process that draws on the expertise and experiences of Nigerians and key stakeholders.
The proposed National Policing Bill is expected to establish the operational, administrative, institutional and funding framework for a more effective policing system capable of responding to Nigeria’s evolving security challenges, while strengthening professionalism, accountability and the protection of citizens’ rights.
In a statement, the Working Group urged legal practitioners, civil society organisations, security sector professionals, state governments, professional bodies, academics, technical experts and other interested members of the public to use the additional window to submit well-considered memoranda and position papers.
It said the stakeholder engagement was particularly important given the far-reaching implications of the proposed legislation for the future of policing and internal security across the country.
Among the critical issues expected to feature in the submissions are sustainable funding, command and control structures, recruitment and training standards, operational jurisdiction, inter-agency coordination, accountability mechanisms, and safeguards against political interference and abuse.
According to the Working Group, these issues require broad-based consultation to ensure that the proposed framework is not only operationally effective but also accountable, sustainable and responsive to the diverse security needs of communities across the federation.
“All submissions must be made on or before 5:00 pm WAT on Friday, August 21, 2026,” the Working Group said, adding that submissions must be made exclusively through the official National Policing Bill portal, nationalpolicingbill.com.
The Working Group said it would, at the conclusion of its assignment, present a final, implementation-ready draft of the National Policing Bill for onward legislative processing.
It expressed appreciation to stakeholders who had already submitted memoranda and encouraged others wishing to participate in the process to take advantage of the extension.
