By David Torough, Abuja

The Federal Government has unveiled a seven-week implementation roadmap for the proposed National Policing Bill, with the executive bill scheduled for presentation to President Bola Tinubu on September 3 as part of efforts to establish the legal and operational framework for state police in Nigeria.

Chief of Staff to the President and Chairman of the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill, Femi Gbajabiamila, announced the timeline on Monday after the inaugural meeting of the committee at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

He said the milestone-driven programme, running from July 27 to September 14, would culminate in the submission of the executive bill to President Tinubu on September 3.

Subject to the President’s approval, the draft legislation will undergo nationwide consultations before being revised and transmitted to the National Assembly.

“The timetable is demanding, but it is not a shortcut,” Gbajabiamila said, explaining that legal drafting, policy research, data analysis and implementation modelling would proceed simultaneously under fixed review stages to ensure a technically sound and implementation-ready framework.

He announced an open call for memoranda and proposals from Nigerians, civil society groups and other stakeholders through the dedicated portal, www.nationalpolicingbill.com, with submissions expected by August 13. He added that the public consultation window could be extended if necessary to encourage wider participation.

“The public is included. No matter your station in life, you have an opportunity to contribute meaningfully because the whole idea behind state policing is for everyone to take ownership,” he said.

Gbajabiamila explained that while the National Assembly had approved constitutional amendments to create state police, the amendment process still requires ratification by state Houses of Assembly before becoming operational.

According to him, the constitutional amendment only provides the legal authority and broad framework for federal and state policing, while the proposed National Policing Bill will establish the detailed operational system governing recruitment, training, funding, command structure, jurisdiction, accountability, intelligence sharing and cooperation between federal and state police institutions.

He noted that the Nigeria Police Force remains the country’s only constitutionally recognised policing institution and that no state police service currently exists.

“Our mandate is to produce a technically robust, implementation-ready draft National Policing Bill and supporting legislative package,” he said.

Gbajabiamila said the committee’s assignment also includes reviewing existing policing laws, setting national minimum standards, developing state readiness certification procedures, establishing federal-state coordination mechanisms and creating independent complaints institutions.

To provide technical guidance, he announced the inauguration of a multidisciplinary Policy Advisory Committee chaired by Justice Mohammed Liman.

Addressing concerns over the possible abuse of state police by political office holders, Gbajabiamila assured Nigerians that the proposed legislation would contain strong safeguards against political interference.

“State Police cannot mean thirty-six state militias, just as national standards cannot become a disguised method of re-centralising day-to-day state policing,” he said.

He stressed that no political office holder would be permitted to direct the arrest or persecution of political opponents, insisting that officers would remain accountable only to the Constitution and the law.

Gbajabiamila further disclosed that no state would be allowed to commence policing operations without demonstrating adequate capacity in recruitment, training, discipline, oversight, firearms control, data management and financial sustainability.

“National standards will be the baseline. States may establish higher standards; however, no Nigerian should receive a lower standard of protection because of where they reside,” he said.

Responding to questions on the cost of establishing state police, the former Speaker of the House of Representatives said it was premature to put a figure on the project, insisting that any financial estimates would be based on detailed research and the peculiar security needs of individual states.

“There is no cost to securing life and property. At this stage, giving you a cost will be pulling something out of thin air. The cost will be evidence-based and determined on a state-by-state basis,” he said.

Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), said national minimum standards would prevent political persecution and guarantee equal protection for Nigerians irrespective of where they live.

Also speaking, Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun, a member of the presidential working group, described the proposed legislation as one of the most significant reforms of the Tinubu administration, saying it would clearly define the responsibilities of federal and state police while addressing critical issues such as funding, jurisdiction and firearms control.

The Federal Government maintained that the proposed reforms would strengthen Nigeria’s security architecture by creating a policing system better suited to the country’s size, diversity and evolving security challenges.

Among those present at the briefing were Inspector-General of Police Olatunji Disu, President of the Nigerian Bar Association Afam Osigwe, Chairman of the Policy Advisory Committee Justice Mohammed Liman and the President’s Special Adviser on Planning and Research, Nnadubem Moghalu.

The Tertiary Institutions National Laureate Committee has announced the commencement of the 2026 National Laureate Programme.

The National Laureate Programme is a Federal Government initiative aimed at recognising outstanding academic research and innovation in Nigerian tertiary institutions.

The programme, backed by an annual research prize fund of ₦365 million, is designed to reward exceptional undergraduate dissertations, master’s theses and doctoral research from accredited higher institutions across the country.

The committee’s spokesperson, Ita Ekpenyong, disclosed this in a statement issued on Sunday in Abuja.

Ekpenyong said, “The initiative underscores the Federal Government’s commitment to strengthening Nigeria’s research ecosystem, promoting innovation and positioning scholarship as a driver of national development.”

He said the programme, inaugurated under the leadership of the Minister of Education, Dr Tunji Alausa, would identify, assess and reward outstanding research produced in accredited universities, polytechnics, colleges of education, monotechnics, military institutions and other eligible tertiary institutions.

As part of preparations for the 2026 edition, the committee directed all eligible institutions to begin internal arrangements for participation by setting up Institutional Laureate Selection Committees made up of experienced academics with proven research credentials.

The institutions are also required to submit the names and designations of committee members, who will coordinate their participation in the programme.

Following internal assessments, “Each participating university is expected to nominate up to 18 research works, comprising six undergraduate dissertations, six master’s theses and six doctoral theses.”

Equivalent submissions will be accepted from polytechnics, monotechnics, colleges of education and other tertiary institutions.

The research entries will be drawn from six thematic areas, including Agriculture, Teaching Innovation, Medicine and Health Sciences, Engineering, Science and Technology, Law, and Arts and Social Sciences.

Under the programme, winners in the undergraduate category will receive ₦35 million, while the master’s and doctoral categories will attract prizes of ₦50 million and ₦100 million, respectively.

In addition, the committee said 15 Thematic Laureate Awards worth ₦12 million each would be presented to other outstanding researchers.

The committee stated that all nominated research works must first be submitted to the Nigeria Education Repository and Databank and assigned a valid National Document Number before they can qualify for consideration.

It explained that the requirement was intended to strengthen research integrity, improve documentation and preserve Nigeria’s academic output within the country’s knowledge infrastructure.

The committee also said the programme would adopt a three-stage assessment process involving institutional, regional and national evaluations to ensure transparency, fairness and merit in the selection of winners.

It urged participating institutions to conduct their internal assessments with professionalism, noting that only the highest-rated research would progress to the next stages.

The committee further called on professional bodies across agriculture, engineering, science, medicine, law, education, arts and related fields to nominate distinguished scholars for appointment to Regional Laureate Selection Committees in the six geopolitical zones.

According to the committee, nominations will be screened based on merit, experience, integrity, diversity and conflict-of-interest requirements.

Institutions and professional associations have until August 15 to constitute their committees and nominate experts, while the submission of institutional entries will remain open until August 31.

Speaking on the initiative, Chairman of the National Laureate Committee, Prof. Abubakar Sambo, said the programme was conceived to promote academic excellence and recognise research capable of driving national development.

Sambo said the programme was designed to elevate academic excellence to national prominence, encourage world-class research, inspire innovation and recognise scholars whose work has the potential to transform lives, industries and the future of Nigeria

He urged all eligible tertiary institutions and relevant professional associations to participate actively in the inaugural edition of the programme.

By Hajia Hadiza Mohammed

As I stated in my previous article, some of my colleagues have queried my interest in Abubakar Malami, SAN. And, I have maintained that as a social activist and advocate, I am interested in justice and those whose lives and activities have touched lives especially those of the poor and the vulnerable.

I am interested in those who have served the public conscientiously and whose lives mirrors justice, rule of law and patriotism. I am interested in those who have used their positions to promote our values and national ethos. And that is why Malami our two-time Attorney-General and Minister of Justice is not the first public officer and achiever that I have written about. But, my interest on Abubakar Malami is based on his accomplishments while in office as the nation’s number law officer between 2015 and 2023, his act of philanthropy and his current travail in the hands of the nation’s security and anti-graft agencies, something many believed was politically motivated.

Malami served as the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice in a moribund regime that will go down as one of the worst in the political history of this country but Malami stood out as a lodestar among those assembled by Buhari to work with him. During the Buhari era, Malami appeared to be the most active minister in is team. During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 when other ministries and other government offices were in a state of inertia, Malami’s Ministry of Justice and Ministry of Health appeared to be the only government ministries that was active. Malami served with patriotic zeal and uncommon dedication, exhibiting his administrative ingenuity to the admiration of the staff of the ministry and our judicial officers. His dedication to his assigned mandate led him to introduce reforms aimed at improving our judicial and legal system. He served with integrity and skills. His astuteness was brightly displayed when he helped negotiated and obtained landmark international settlements in favor of our country and the recovery and repatriation of the nation’s funds illegally stashed away in foreign banks by our unscrupulous public officers in the past.

When I browse through Malami’s published personal memoir entitled: “Traversing the Thorny Terrain of Nigeria’s Justice Sector: My travails and Triumphs”, I had a clearer understanding of his battles and his determination to make an impact despite institutional challenges, obstacles and oppositions. I see the courage in a man that has iron determination to succeed in whatever he feels is worth doing. And indeed, he recorded visible accomplishments. The evidence can be seen. You may not need to read his memoir to see it.

While in office as the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice, Malami consulted widely in his effort to make appreciable impact by working with the established institutions and available legal platforms including the body of states’ Attorneys-General for “reforms in the justice sector, law reforms through legislations and judicial decisions which expounded our jurisprudence.”

In his decisions while in office, Malami was always guarded by the goal of national interest, unity and development. That is why in his valedictory address to the body of attorneys-general, he advised them thus: “We should not shy away from offering our knowledge and wealth of experience in office to promote development in all spheres of our national life.”

Also, Malami realizes the importance of the government as a living entity to maintain its legal obligations and hence he established an electronic National Depository of Treaties that will serve as the depository of all treaties entered into between the Government of the Federation and any other country of any Ministry, Agency or Department. This is in line with Section 4 of the Treaties (Making Procedure, Etc.) Act Cap. T20 Laws of the Federation (LFN) 2004, which domiciled the National Depository of Treaties in the Federal Ministry of Justice.

Again, Malami was interested in speedy resolution of conflict and pursuit of justice through arbitration. That was why he inaugurated members of the National Arbitration Policy Committee charging them to come out with a comprehensive policy that will, among other things, ensure that domestic transactions originating and terminating in Nigeria are arbitrated in the country.

Additionally, during his tenure in the Federal Ministry of Justice, Abubakar Malami made tremendous effort to improve the welfare of serving and retired judicial officers. The aim is to motivate the staff of the ministry and judicial officers to ensure operational efficiency in the dispensation of justice without which the administration of law and the legal system will negative affected.

Clearly, there are many other programs and reforms introduced by Malami which would not be captured here for want of space but will be highlighted in the subsequent essays but suffice it to say that Malami’s era in the Federal Ministry of Justice was a huge success.