Deputy Speaker Pushes for State Police, Says Centralised System Fails Nigeria
By Matthew Eloyi
Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rep. Benjamin Kalu, has stressed the urgent need for the establishment of state police as a lasting solution to Nigeria’s security challenges.
Kalu, who spoke to journalists in Abuja after returning from Geneva, Switzerland, where he represented Nigeria at the 55th WTO–Inter-Parliamentary Union Public Forum, said the nation’s current centralised policing system was inadequate and outdated compared to global best practices.
He explained that the state police bill before the National Assembly seeks to improve response time and bring Nigeria’s policing system in line with international standards.
“The only way we can achieve this is by unbundling the centralised structure, just as other countries operate municipal and state policing systems,” he said.
The deputy speaker disclosed that a national public hearing on the bill will hold on Monday to enable Nigerians to contribute their views.
While acknowledging concerns over possible misuse of state policing, Kalu maintained that the need to guarantee security for the majority of Nigerians outweighs such fears.
He also revealed that Nigeria, alongside other African delegations, is pressing for Afrocentric issues to feature prominently at the WTO Ministerial Conference scheduled for Yaoundé in March 2026. According to him, “Africa and its problems must be on the table, not outside the room.”
