The Senate has clarified why the Federal Capital Territory is not covered by the proposed state police system, saying the territory lacks the constitutional structures that govern Nigeria’s 36 states.
The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Publicity, Yemi Adaramodu, explained that the FCT is administered directly by the Federal Government and does not have a governor or State House of Assembly.
Adaramodu made this known on Friday while speaking with The Punch on concerns over the exclusion of the nation’s capital from the constitutional framework for the establishment of state police.
He noted that unlike the states, which are headed by elected governors and have Houses of Assembly, the FCT is administered by a minister who operates under the Federal Executive Council.
The Ekiti lawmaker said the National Assembly performs legislative functions for the territory, further distinguishing its administrative arrangement from that of the states.
He said, “I have heard many people raise a lot of questions on why the Federal Capital Territory is not among the plan for state police. The FCT issue is different. It is under the Federal Government.
“Again, the FCT does not have a governor. It is run by a minister who subscribes to the Federal Executive Council. It is from this FEC that the FCT takes directives and its administrative relevance.
“So, the federal capital does not have an assembly. It is the National Assembly that legislates for the FCT. This is why it can’t be different from what the Federal Government does. Therefore, the federal police are in charge.”
The explanation comes amid moves by the Federal Government to restructure the country’s policing system in response to persistent demands for decentralised policing and the constitutional establishment of state police.
The Presidency had earlier announced that President Bola Tinubu was expected to receive the draft Executive National Policing Bill on September 3.
The Chief of Staff to the President and Chairman of the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill, Femi Gbajabiamila, disclosed this following a meeting of the group at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
Gbajabiamila also announced the launch of a public information portal where Nigerians can submit memoranda and position papers to contribute to the proposed legislation before it is presented to the President and subsequently transmitted to the National Assembly.
While the recent constitutional amendment provides the legal basis for the creation of state police, the Executive Bill is expected to establish the operational guidelines for the new policing structure.
However, questions have continued to emerge over how state police would be funded and administered.
Under the proposed constitutional framework, state Houses of Assembly would be empowered to legislate on the establishment, organisation, administration, funding and oversight of state police.
The states are expected to bear the main financial burden of running their police forces, although federal grants and other forms of assistance would also be available.
A new provision, Section 216A, provides that the Federal Government shall offer grants or aid to state police based on the recommendation of the National Police Council, subject to approval by the National Assembly.
The provision, however, does not establish a minimum federal contribution, a specific funding formula or a guaranteed source of revenue for state police.
Consequently, state governments would remain primarily responsible for financing their police formations, while federal support would depend on recommendations from the National Police Council and approval by the National Assembly.
The council, chaired by the President and comprising other senior federal and state officials, could therefore play a significant role in determining the relationship between the Federal Government and state police authorities.
For the FCT, however, the existing constitutional arrangement means policing will remain under federal control.
According to Adaramodu, the territory’s direct administration by the Federal Government and the absence of state-level institutions such as a governor and State House of Assembly make it ineligible for the proposed state police structure.
As the proposed policing reforms undergo further harmonisation and legislative consideration, the administration of security in the FCT is expected to remain linked to its distinct constitutional status.
