Presidency seeks private sector funding for state police

The Presidency has asked Nigeria’s organised private sector to develop practical proposals for financing and implementing the proposed state police system, saying businesses have a role in strengthening security institutions that protect investments and support economic activity.

Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, made the call during a plenary session on “Security, Stability and Economic Resilience” at the 32nd Nigerian Economic Summit in Abuja on Monday, October 27. Gbajabiamila, who chairs the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill, tasked the Nigerian Economic Summit Group, chambers of commerce and business associations with developing proposals on financing, institutional management and accountable partnerships.

He said insecurity was imposing costs on businesses through disrupted supply chains, delayed factory expansions, abandoned investments and lost employment opportunities. According to him, President Bola Tinubu’s commitment to establishing state police presents an opportunity for the private sector to contribute ideas and expertise towards building effective security institutions.

“I therefore ask the Nigerian Economic Summit Group to carry this engagement beyond our meeting. Bring forward a considered private sector contribution on financing and implementing state police, with practical proposals for accountable partnerships. Take that work into the legislative process and into your engagement with state governments,” he said. Gbajabiamila urged business leaders to engage governors and lawmakers and contribute their experience in institutional management, expenditure control and risk assessment.

He also asked them to identify security challenges preventing otherwise viable investments from proceeding. The chief of staff, however, warned that private sector support must be transparent and must not compromise the independence of police institutions. He said contributions towards communications infrastructure, equipment maintenance and financial planning should be subject to public disclosure and independent scrutiny.

“Where businesses provide resources, those contributions need published accounts and independent scrutiny. Public funding must remain dependable, and a donation must never purchase influence over an investigation or preferential treatment,” he said. Gbajabiamila stressed that states seeking to establish police services must demonstrate that they can finance them sustainably, beyond purchasing vehicles, uniforms and other equipment. He said states would also need to make provision for salaries, professional training, operational costs and maintenance.

According to him, failure to meet those obligations could leave police institutions vulnerable to private influence and unlawful demands on citizens. He assured participants that federal policing would continue in states that are not financially or institutionally ready to establish their own services. Providing an update on the reform, Gbajabiamila said 24 State Houses of Assembly had approved the proposed constitutional amendment for state police as of October 23, meeting the required two-thirds threshold.

He added that the Presidential Working Group submitted the draft National Policing Bill and 29 consequential amendment bills to the Federal Ministry of Justice on October 19 for legislative review. According to him, the proposals will be presented to President Tinubu for approval after the review and final consideration, before being transmitted to the National Assembly.

Gbajabiamila explained that the proposed framework would allow willing and capable states to take greater responsibility for local security, while federal policing would continue to cover interstate crimes and specialised national security operations. He said the reform was intended to address a situation in which state governments are expected to respond to insecurity without corresponding control over policing. He argued that bringing policing closer to communities could improve local intelligence gathering and emergency response.

Addressing concerns that state police could be used for political purposes, Gbajabiamila said the proposed legislation would include enforceable safeguards, national professional standards, independent oversight and remedies for misconduct. “A citizen’s entitlement to protection cannot depend on whom he supports or where she comes from,” he said. He added that the framework had benefited from consultations with state governments, security institutions and members of the public, as well as a Policy Advisory Committee comprising representatives of the public and private sectors.

Gbajabiamila said businesses had reasons to support security reform because the effects of insecurity extended beyond the cost of hiring private guards or protecting premises. “A company can reinforce its perimeter. Its workers still have to travel home, and its suppliers still have to move through the surrounding communities. Your long-term security depends on the strength of public institutions beyond your gates,” he said.

The chief of staff also highlighted other security measures undertaken by the administration, saying the Armed Forces had been strengthened through the induction of helicopters into Army Aviation, the restoration of more than 100 refurbished armoured fighting vehicles and the commissioning of three additional naval vessels in June.

He said continued operations against crude oil theft had contributed to improvements in oil production, foreign exchange earnings and government revenue. On agricultural security, Gbajabiamila said 10,000 Agro-Rangers had been deployed across 19 states and the Federal Capital Territory to protect farming activities.

He added that more than 7,000 forest guards from seven frontline states had completed training by December 2025. Gbajabiamila also referred to Tinubu’s August directive for a National Threat Assessment and a rolling five-year Strategic Defence Operations Plan, which he said were intended to improve coordination, establish operational priorities and strengthen accountability.

While outlining the measures, he acknowledged that kidnapping and violent attacks remained a concern and said Nigerians were entitled to judge the government by whether they felt safer. “Nigerians living with the threat of abduction or attack are entitled to judge us by their own safety,” he said.

Gbajabiamila linked security to the administration’s economic reforms, including the removal of fuel subsidy, foreign exchange restructuring and tax changes. He acknowledged that the reforms had placed pressure on households and businesses, but argued that economic productivity and public safety depended on each other.

“A government with inadequate revenues cannot sustain the institutions required to protect its citizens. An economy in which people cannot work safely cannot generate the revenues government needs,” he said. He urged investors to return to communities where improved security had made commercial activities possible again, saying renewed investment could restore jobs, supply chains and public revenue.

Gbajabiamila said the administration welcomed constructive criticism and practical recommendations, adding that cooperation among government, businesses and other stakeholders would be necessary to translate the reforms into dependable protection. “A farmer returning to his land and an employer reopening a business will be making decisions about their families’ futures. Our work together must give them sound reasons to proceed,” he said.1`