A professor of history at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Emmanuel Olukemi Rotimi, has been appointed to the Policy Advisory Committee of the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill.
The appointment forms part of ongoing efforts to develop a legal and institutional framework for the proposed Federal and State Police structure in Nigeria.
Rotimi, a professor in OAU’s Department of History, was selected for his extensive scholarship on the history, evolution and challenges of policing in Nigeria, particularly the country’s experience with decentralised police institutions before military rule.
The proposed legislation is expected to establish the operational framework for a dual policing system comprising a Federal Police Service and State Police Services.
It will also set out the responsibilities, funding arrangements, accountability mechanisms and oversight structures for the two levels of policing.
The Presidential Working Group, chaired by the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, has been given a seven-week timeline to produce an implementation-ready draft of the Bill for submission to the Federal Ministry of Justice.
The Policy Advisory Committee, chaired by retired Justice Mohammed Abdullahi Liman, is tasked with providing policy direction, issuing drafting instructions and validating the contents of the proposed legislation.
Rotimi’s academic career has focused significantly on Nigeria’s policing history.
His master’s thesis examined the Native Administration Police Forces of Western Nigeria between 1905 and 1951, while his doctoral research traced the development of Native Administration Police Forces across Nigeria from 1900 to 1970.
He also authored the 2001 book, The Police in a Federal State: The Nigerian Experience, which examined the origins, development, organisation and eventual abolition of Native Authority and Local Government police forces.
The OAU scholar has previously argued that discussions around State Police should be informed by Nigeria’s historical experience with decentralised policing.
According to his position, any new policing arrangement must be supported by transparent funding, effective training, public accountability and safeguards against political interference or abuse.
These considerations are expected to feature prominently in the proposed legislation, alongside issues such as national policing standards, state readiness, inspection mechanisms, complaints procedures, firearms control, data sharing, federal intervention and institutional oversight.
Rotimi’s inclusion is therefore expected to provide the committee with historical and academic perspectives as it develops a policing framework aimed at addressing contemporary security challenges while avoiding weaknesses associated with previous decentralised policing arrangements.
The OAU authorities have congratulated Rotimi on his appointment, describing it as recognition of his scholarship and sustained contribution to national discourse on policing and security reform.
