The Presidency has urged Nigeria’s organised private sector to develop practical proposals for financing and implementing state police, arguing that businesses have a direct interest in strengthening security institutions and protecting economic activities.
The Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, Femi Gbajabiamila, made the call on Monday, October 27, during a plenary session on “Security, Stability and Economic Resilience” at the 32nd Nigerian Economic Summit in Abuja.
Gbajabiamila, who chairs the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill, urged the Nigerian Economic Summit Group, chambers of commerce and other business associations to contribute ideas on funding, institutional management and accountable partnerships for the proposed state police system.
He said insecurity had continued to undermine business operations through disrupted supply chains, delayed factory expansions, abandoned investments and lost employment opportunities.
According to him, Tinubu’s commitment to establishing state police provides an opportunity for the private sector to contribute its expertise towards developing 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,” Gbajabiamila said.
He encouraged business leaders to engage governors and lawmakers while drawing on their experience in institutional management, expenditure control and risk assessment.
The presidential aide also asked companies to identify security challenges preventing viable investments from taking off, stressing that any private sector involvement in policing must be transparent and must not undermine the independence of security institutions.
“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 stated.
Gbajabiamila warned that states seeking to establish their own police services must demonstrate the financial and institutional capacity to sustain them, noting that the cost of policing goes beyond purchasing vehicles, uniforms and other equipment.
He said state governments would need reliable funding for personnel salaries, professional training, operational expenses and equipment maintenance.
According to him, failure to provide these essentials could expose police institutions to private influence and leave citizens vulnerable to unlawful demands.
He assured Nigerians that federal police operations would continue in states that were not financially or institutionally prepared to establish their own police forces.
Providing an update on the proposed reform, Gbajabiamila disclosed that 24 State Houses of Assembly had approved the constitutional amendment for state police as of October 23, meeting the required two-thirds threshold.
He also said the Presidential Working Group submitted the draft National Policing Bill and 29 related amendment bills to the Federal Ministry of Justice on October 19 for legislative review.
According to him, the proposals would 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 arrangement would enable states with the capacity and willingness to establish their own police services, while federal policing would retain responsibility for interstate crimes and specialised national security operations.
He argued that the current system places considerable responsibility on state governments to address insecurity without giving them corresponding control over policing.
The proposed reform, he said, was intended to bring security operations closer to communities, improve intelligence gathering and strengthen responses to local threats.
Addressing concerns that state police could be exploited for political purposes, Gbajabiamila said the proposed legislation would provide 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 involving state governments, security agencies and members of the public, alongside a Policy Advisory Committee comprising public and private sector representatives.
Gbajabiamila further argued that businesses could not achieve lasting security by relying solely on private guards and protecting their premises, as their employees and suppliers remained exposed to threats outside company facilities.
“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 security measures undertaken by the Tinubu administration, including 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 operations against crude oil theft had contributed to improvements in oil production, foreign exchange earnings and government revenue.
On agricultural security, Gbajabiamila disclosed that 10,000 Agro-Rangers had been deployed across 19 states and the Federal Capital Territory to protect farming activities.
He also said more than 7,000 forest guards from seven frontline states had completed training by December 2025.
The presidential aide cited Tinubu’s August directive for a National Threat Assessment and a rolling five-year Strategic Defence Operations Plan as further measures aimed at improving coordination, setting operational priorities and strengthening accountability.
Despite these interventions, he acknowledged that kidnapping and violent attacks remained serious concerns, insisting that the government should be judged by the level of safety Nigerians experience in their daily lives.
“Nigerians living with the threat of abduction or attack are entitled to judge us by their own safety,” he said.
Gbajabiamila also linked national security to the administration’s economic reforms, including fuel subsidy removal, foreign exchange restructuring and tax changes. While acknowledging the pressure these measures had placed on households and businesses, he maintained that economic growth and public safety were closely connected.
“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 called on investors to return to communities where improved security had made commercial activities possible, arguing that renewed investment could restore employment, revive supply chains and increase government revenue.
Gbajabiamila concluded by urging continued cooperation among the government, businesses and other stakeholders, saying practical recommendations would be important in translating the proposed reforms into effective public 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 added.
