By George Mgbeleke

Leader of the Senate, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, on Thursday disclosed that State Police has become a reality, as all requirements for its establishment under the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) have been adequately met.

Bamidele, also Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution, contended that the National Assembly should be judged by the impact of its initiatives and interventions and not by the volume of bills it processed and passed into law.

He made the disclosure while delivering a lecture to participants of the Senior Executive Course (SEC) 48 at the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), Kuru, Jos, Plateau State.

The lecture was themed “Improving the Efficiency and Effectiveness of Governance through Proactive Lawmaking,” aimed at reflecting on the centrality of lawmaking to public governance.

The lecture was attended by Chairman, Senate Committee on Employment, Labour and Productivity, Senator Diket Plang; Chairman, Senate Committee on Tourism, Senator Pam Dachungyang;

Director-General of the NIPSS, Prof. Ayo Omotayo and former President, Nigerian Institution of Estate Surveyors and Valuers,

Mr. Adekunle Alonge

Delivering the lecture, Bamidele described the approval of the State Police Constitution Alteration Bill, 2026 by no fewer than 30 states as a historic milestone in the country’s collective quest to re-engineer its security architecture and make it more responsive, local and effective.

He noted that now that the constitutional threshold has been crossed, the burden of duty “now rests on the National Assembly to collate the positions of the State Houses of Assembly and pass a resolution by simple majority of members in both chambers.

“We are pleased to inform our constituents across the federation that State Police have moved from rhetoric to reality. We have already received formal reports from the State Houses of Assembly and, as of today, no fewer than 30 states have approved the State Police Constitution Alteration Bill, 2026.

“By the provision of Section 9(2) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which requires the concurrence of not less than two-thirds of all State Houses of Assembly, the constitutional requirement for the alteration has been duly met. This is a historic milestone in our collective quest to re-engineer our security architecture and make it more responsive, more local, and more effective.

“What happens next is procedural, but critical. The National Assembly is now constitutionally obligated to consider the reports transmitted by the State Houses of Assembly, collate those reports, and pass a resolution by simple majority of members in both chambers. Once this resolution is passed, the Alteration Bill will be transmitted to the President and Commander-in-Chief for assent.

“We have set a clear timeline for ourselves. We intend to conclude all these legislative stages — consideration of reports, passage of resolution, and transmission for presidential assent — on or before December 2026,” the Senate Leader emphasised.

Bamidele said the passage of State Police into law is no longer a campaign promise or subject of endless debate after more than 15 years of unsuccessful attempts in the National Assembly.

“What this means is that State Police is no longer a campaign promise or a subject of endless debate. It is now a constitutional reality. It means that the security of lives, private property and public assets occupies a prime place in the legislative agenda of the 10th National Assembly,” he said.

He added that Nigeria can now build a policing system that understands local terrain, speaks local languages, respects local realities, and is accountable to local communities.

Bamidele assured that the reform is not aimed at weakening the centre but at strengthening the federation. According to him, it is not about creating state armies, but about creating state-led, community-anchored policing within clear constitutional safeguards, operational standards, oversight mechanisms and human rights protections.

He said the National Assembly, under the leadership of the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio, “remains committed to delivering on the establishment of State Police. We will not falter until every Nigerian, whether in Kuru, in Iyin-Ekiti, in Gusau or in Yenagoa, can sleep with both eyes closed.”

Also at the lecture, Bamidele noted that the 10th Assembly deliberately pursued strategic, people-centred legislation with direct bearing on citizens’ welfare.

He explained that the current National Assembly “has passed strategic legislations that will positively impact the lives of Nigerians. Among them are the Student Loans (Access to Higher Education) Act, 2024 which guarantees access to higher education for indigent students, the Minimum Wage (Amendment) Act, 2024, the four Tax Reform Acts of 2025, and the National Social Investment Programme Act.

“Others include the Electoral Act, 2026, the Cybercrimes (Amendment) Act, the Investments and Securities Act, 2025, the Nigerian Insurance Industry Reform Act, 2024, and the Regional Development Commissions Acts. In addition, work is ongoing on the State Police Constitution Alteration Bill.”

Bamidele said the legislative feats “are products of proactive lawmaking. Proactive lawmaking offers Nigeria a pathway to more effective, efficient, accountable and development-oriented governance. By anticipating emerging challenges, addressing structural weaknesses, strengthening public institutions and creating legal frameworks for innovation and reform, the Legislature can move the country from a reactive to a strategic and preventive model of governance.”

He stressed that its impact cuts across national security, economic transformation, public financial management, electoral credibility, education, healthcare, technological innovation, environmental sustainability and intergovernmental relations.

On NIPSS-National Assembly partnership, Bamidele said: “NIPSS has a special role to play in this transformation. The Institute has demonstrated capacity to bring together experienced Nigerians from the public sector, military, private sector, academia and other strategic institutions.

“Its Senior Executive Course is designed around policy, strategy, leadership, economics, international relations, security, science and technology, and peace and conflict studies. This multidisciplinary character makes NIPSS uniquely positioned to contribute to legislative foresight. I would, therefore, encourage stronger institutional collaboration between NIPSS and the National Assembly.”

He explained the imperative of making good laws, though argued that good laws did not automatically translate good governance in any democracy.

He, thus, observed that good governance “requires good laws. But good laws alone do not guarantee good governance. We require laws that are relevant, evidence-based, implementable, adequately funded, properly administered, effectively monitored, periodically reviewed and ultimately measured by their impact on citizens.”

By George Mgbeleke,Abuja

The National Chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Senator David Mark has told a delegation of the Economic Commission of West Africa (ECOWAS) to declare to the Nigerian government and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that only a transparent and credible election will be accepted by the regional body.

The opposition party Chairman said this in Abuja on Thursday while receiving a delegation of the ECOWAS on what was described as a “pre-election fact-finding mission” to Nigeria ahead of the 2027 election in January.

The Head of Mission, and former Vice President of Sierra Leone, Mr. Victor Bockarie Foe, explained that part of the Mission’s objectives was to assess the state of preparedness for the effective conduct of the coming general elections as well as the political atmosphere in the country in the build-up to the elections.

While briefing the delegation, the ADC leadership expressed concerns about INEC’s level of preparedness and overall commitment to delivering a free and fair election. They also highlight what they described as “government’s capture” of state institutions, including the judiciary and the INEC as well as the various threats of violence emanating from the ruling party.

In his remarks, Senator Mark noted that election in Nigeria is critical to the stability of the West Africa region and will therefore attract global attention.

“This is why we must all work together to ensure we get it right. You have made us to understand that your mission is pursuant to the ECOWAS Conflict Prevention Framework. We are quite happy with this. But the best way to prevent conflict, especially in relation to elections, is to ensure that it is free, fair and transparent,” he said.

“We in the ADC have committed ourselves to the highest standards of peaceful conducts before, during and after the elections. But we need ECOWAS to join us in insisting on a credible election now. We want the same thing -a peaceful and stable Nigeria and West Africa. This is why you must tell the Federal Government and the INEC that they must not do anything that could plunge Nigeria into needless crisis. This must form a part of your early warning signals,” he said.

The head of Mission, Mr. Bockarie Foh, promised to report the party’s concerns as well as those of other stakeholders in the country to the regional body, while emphasising the significance of peace and stability in Nigeria to the entire region.

Other members of the ECOWAS Mission included Francess Piage Alghali, Commissioner for Political Affairs, Peace and Security, Julius Fofanah Sandy, representing the ECOWAS Permanent Representatives’ Committee, Segrine Mamadou, Head of Electoral Assistance Division, among others.

By Obi Okoro,Abuja

Determined rid the country of corruption the alleged fake Director General of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), Adeniyi Adeyemi, has been dragged before a High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on a 22-count charge.

The Federal Government re-arraigned Adeyemi on Thursday after he had been earlier arraigned before a Federal High Court in Abuja on September 30 on a seven-count charge, which was later withdrawn on October 12 by the Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation (DPPF), Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), who said the prosecution planned to move the case before the High Court of the FCT.

In the new charge being prosecuted by the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Adeyemi is, among others, accused of forgery, false personation as a public servant, and obtaining over N27 billion to start the fake agency and N3.8 billion for personnel costs.

The anti-graft agency also accused him of obtaining the money by forging a document addressed to the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy.

It also accused Adeyemi of forging documents signed by the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, appointing him as Director General of PFIPC, and occupying government office facilities at the Federal Secretariat Complex Phase III.

ICPC further alleged that Adeyemi forged a document to the Accountant-General of the Federation captioned “Re: request for approval of self-accounting status” for the non-existent agency to operate within the government financial reporting structure.

It also alleged that he forged documents and sent them to the DG of the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) to obtain a domain name for the agency.

The ICPC further accused Adeyemi of gifting N210,000 to Aminu Abdullahi, an Assistant Chief Technical Officer in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF), “to facilitate the allocation of office space,” without official authorisation.

The charge also alleged he gifted another N300,000 to an officer in the Office of the Chief Economic Adviser to the President, Ogaba Harry, to facilitate the release and handover of two official vehicles (a Prado SUV and Land Cruiser SUV) to him.

ICPC also alleged that on 29 July 2025, the defendant collected N20 million from Oyekunle Gbenga, the Managing Director of Divine Dopacy Nigeria Limited, under the false pretence of a “project facilitation loan” for a purported N2.8 billion contract awarded by the fictitious agency to procure furniture and renovate the official residence of the DG, PFIPC.

According to the ICPC, Adeyemi allegedly committed the offences between 2024 and 2026.

The ICPC said the alleged offences contravene sections 364, 366, and 132 of the Penal Code Cap. 532, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria (Abuja) 1990, Section 1(1)(a) and punishable under Section 1(3) of the Advance Fee Fraud and Other Fraud Related Offences Act, 2006 and Section 9(a) and punishable under Section 9(b) of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000.

The defendant pleaded not guilty when the charge was read to him, following which the prosecuting lawyer, Fatima Bardi, asked the court to set a date for the commencement of trial and remand the defendant in custody.

Defence lawyer, Ibrahim Angulu (SAN), applied orally for bail for his client, an application Justice Halilu Yusuf rejected and ordered Angulu to file a written bail application.

Angulu prayed for a short adjournment, citing Adeyemi’s prolonged detention and health challenge, noting that his client has spent 155 days in custody and has received a health report from the police clinic.

Justice Yusuf, subsequently, adjourned until November 9 for the commencement of trial and hearing of the bail application.