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 p.m. West Africa Time.
Chief of Staff to the President and Chairman of the Presidential Working Group, Femi Gbajabiamila, in a statement on Thursday, said the extension was aimed at giving 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 legislation is expected to establish the operational, administrative, institutional and funding framework for an effective policing architecture capable of responding to Nigeria’s evolving security challenges, while strengthening accountability, professionalism and the protection of citizens’ rights.
Gbajabiamila said the significance of the proposed reform to the future of policing and internal security made it necessary to provide stakeholders with additional time to submit detailed and technically sound recommendations.
He urged legal practitioners, civil society organisations, security sector professionals, state governments, professional bodies, academics, experts and other interested members of the public to take advantage of the extended window.
All memoranda and position papers are to be submitted exclusively through the official National Policing Bill portal, nationalpolicingbill.com, on or before the new deadline.
According to the Working Group, key issues requiring careful consideration include sustainable funding, command and control structures, recruitment and training standards, operational jurisdiction, inter-agency coordination, accountability mechanisms and safeguards against political interference and 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 said.
He disclosed that, upon completion of its assignment, the Presidential Working Group would submit a final, implementation-ready draft of the National Policing Bill for onward legislative processing.
The group expressed appreciation to stakeholders who had already submitted memoranda and encouraged others who intend to participate to make use of the additional time.
The National Policing Bill portal was launched on August 3, 2026, when Gbajabiamila announced the commencement of the public consultation during a press briefing on the proposed policing reforms. The initial consultation window was scheduled to close after approximately two weeks.
The Working Group is expected to present the completed Executive Bill package to President Bola Tinubu for review on September 3, 2026.
