The Presidential Working Group (PWG) on the national policing bill has extended the deadline for memoranda and position papers to August 21.

The extension is intended to give stakeholders additional time to prepare and submit comprehensive contributions to the proposed legislation.

Femi Gbajabiamila, chief of staff to the president and PWG chairman, announced this in a statement in Abuja on Thursday.

Mr Gbajabiamila confirmed that submissions would now close at 5:00 p.m. West Africa Time (WAT) on August 21.

He said the working group remained committed to ensuring the proposed legislation benefits from broad consultations and informed contributions from Nigerians.

According to him, the national policing bill seeks to establish the operational, administrative, institutional and funding framework for effective policing nationwide.

He said the proposed law would address Nigeria’s evolving security challenges while strengthening accountability, professionalism and protection of citizens’ rights.

“The extension is intended to provide stakeholders with additional time for thorough preparation and ensure that interested individuals, institutions and organisations have adequate opportunity to make well-considered contributions,” he said.

Mr Gbajabiamila noted that the importance of the proposed reform made wider participation in the legislative process necessary.

He encouraged legal practitioners, civil society organisations, security experts, state governments, professional bodies, academics and members of the public to participate.

According to him, all memoranda and position papers must be submitted through the official national policing bill portal.

He said the working group recognised the need for careful consideration of key issues within the proposed policing framework.

These include sustainable funding arrangements, command-and-control structures, recruitment procedures, and professional training standards.

Other critical areas are operational jurisdiction, inter-agency coordination and mechanisms for ensuring accountability within policing institutions.

The proposed framework also contains safeguards designed to prevent political interference and abuse of policing powers.

Mr Gbajabiamila stressed that robust stakeholder engagement was essential to developing a policing system that is effective, accountable and responsive to community security needs.

He said the working group would produce a final implementation-ready draft of the national policing bill upon completing its assignment.

He added that the draft legislation would subsequently be forwarded for legislative consideration and processing.

Mr Gbajabiamila thanked stakeholders who had already submitted contributions and encouraged others to take advantage of the extended deadline.

He reaffirmed the group’s commitment to delivering a comprehensive legal framework for modern and effective policing in Nigeria. 

(NAN)