The Presidency has extended the deadline for Nigerians and other stakeholders to submit memoranda and position papers on the proposed National Policing Bill to Friday, August 21, 2026.
The Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill had initially set Thursday, August 13, at 5pm West Africa Time as the deadline for public submissions.
In a statement signed on Thursday by the Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu and Chairman of the Working Group, Femi Gbajabiamila, the group said the extension would give individuals, institutions and organisations more time to make substantive contributions to the proposed legislation.
“The Presidential Working Group is committed to ensuring that the process of developing the National Policing Bill benefits from broad consultation and the informed perspectives of Nigerians and relevant stakeholders,” the statement said.
The proposed bill is designed to establish the operational, administrative, institutional and funding framework for an effective policing system that can respond to Nigeria’s evolving security challenges while promoting accountability, professionalism and the protection of citizens’ rights.
Gbajabiamila said the significance of the proposed reforms made broader stakeholder participation necessary.
“Given the significance of the proposed reform to the future of policing and internal security in Nigeria, the Working Group considers it important that stakeholders are afforded more opportunity to make substantive and technically sound contributions to the process,” he said.
Legal practitioners, civil society organisations, security sector professionals, state governments, professional bodies, academics, experts and members of the public have been encouraged to submit their memoranda and position papers through the official National Policing Bill portal before the new deadline.
The Working Group said submissions should address key issues including sustainable funding, command and control structures, recruitment and training standards, operational jurisdiction, inter-agency coordination, accountability mechanisms and safeguards against political interference or abuse.
“These considerations underscore the importance of robust stakeholder engagement in developing a framework that is effective, accountable, sustainable and responsive to the peculiar security needs of communities across the federation,” Gbajabiamila added.
At the end of its assignment, the Working Group is expected to produce a final, implementation-ready draft of the National Policing Bill for onward legislative processing.
The National Policing Bill portal opened on August 3, 2026, when Gbajabiamila announced the public consultation during a press briefing on the proposed policing reforms.
The Presidential Working Group is expected to submit the completed Executive Bill package to President Bola Tinubu for review on September 3, 2026.
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