The National Policing Bill is 90 per cent ready for transmission to the National Assembly, with the Presidential Working Group expected to conclude its review within the next two weeks.

Chief of Staff to the President and Chairman of the Presidential Working Group, Femi Gbajabiamila, disclosed this on Thursday while briefing journalists after a steering committee meeting at the State House, Abuja.

Gbajabiamila said the committee might hold one more meeting to address outstanding issues and incorporate observations from state governors before forwarding the bill to the legislature.

“The National Policing Bill is more or less ready for transmission to the National Assembly. We will probably have one more meeting after this to cross the t’s and dot the i’s and make sure every area is covered. So, we are 90 per cent ready,” he said.

He added that the governors had raised one or two observations, expressing optimism that the bill would be ready within a week or so.

According to a statement issued by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, Gbajabiamila described the proposed legislation as “the most consequential Bill of the administration so far”.

He noted that the bill had undergone extensive deliberations over the past few weeks, following the commencement of discussions by the working group’s steering committee on August 3.

On concerns that some states might delay the passage of the Sixth Constitution Alteration Bill on state police, Gbajabiamila expressed confidence that there was broad national support for the proposed constitutional amendments.

He was responding to reports that only about six states out of the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory had passed the amendment.

“I see no reason why anyone will want to have a rethink on it,” he said, stressing that a national consensus had emerged on the need for the reforms.

The meeting was attended by the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum and Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq; Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun; Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani; and the Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu.

Also in attendance was the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, who was represented by the Solicitor-General and Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Justice, Beatrice Jedy-Agba.

Other members of the committee included the Chairman of the Policy Advisory Committee, retired Justice Abdullahi Liman; Head of the Nigeria Police Reform Secretariat, Olu Ogunsakin; and the Special Adviser to the President on National Assembly Matters (House of Representatives), Lanre Smart.

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Planning and Research, Nnadubem Moghalu, who also serves as secretary of the committee, was present alongside representatives of the Nigerian Bar Association and the National Security Adviser, represented by AIG Abraham Thomas.