President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, says the National Assembly is considering the establishment of a national commission to regulate state policing operations as part of ongoing efforts to create state police across the country.
Akpabio disclosed this while speaking with journalists after leading National Assembly leaders on an Eid-el-Kabir visit to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in Lagos.
According to him, the proposed commission would oversee recruitment, promotions, training and professional conduct within state police formations to ensure uniform standards nationwide.
“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,” he said.
The Senate President said the National Assembly was working closely with the President to develop a framework that would enable states to play a greater role in securing 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 also disclosed that lawmakers were 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.
He said the move would improve police infrastructure, equipment and operational capacity across the country.
On security, Akpabio acknowledged that challenges remained but maintained that the situation had 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. All those organised bomb blasts everywhere have been brought to an end,” he said.
He, however, noted that attacks on soft targets such as schools, churches and mosques still occurred, describing them as acts of guerrilla warfare.
The Senate President also commended the administration’s economic reforms, saying the government inherited an economy burdened by fuel subsidy payments, multiple exchange rates and excessive borrowing.
He said ongoing reforms had helped reposition the economy for sustainable growth and enhanced investor confidence.
Akpabio further praised recent tax reforms and major infrastructure projects, including the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway and the Lagos-Badagry-Sokoto road corridor, describing them as transformative initiatives capable of boosting agriculture, connectivity and economic development.
He also called for increased crude oil production to improve foreign exchange earnings, particularly with the expansion of operations at 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,” he said.
