# Presidency seeks private sector funding for state police as 24 states back reform > Gbajabiamila says businesses must help finance and implement state police > URL: https://westng.com/presidency-private-sector-funding-state-police/ > Last modified: 2026-10-27T18:55:58+00:00 The Presidency has urged the organised private sector to support the financing and implementation of Nigeria’s proposed state police system, arguing that businesses already bear high costs from insecurity through private security spending and disrupted operations. Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu and Chairman of the Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill, Femi Gbajabiamila, made the appeal on Monday during a panel session on “Security, Stability and Economic Resilience” at the 32nd Nigerian Economic Summit in Abuja. His call came as the proposed constitutional amendment establishing a dual policing structure cleared a major legislative hurdle, with 24 of Nigeria’s 36 State Houses of Assembly approving the Constitution (Sixth Alteration) Bill, 2026. The approval meets the two-thirds threshold required for the constitutional amendment to proceed. Gbajabiamila said businesses should publicly support the reform, engage governors and state lawmakers and contribute practical proposals on how state police can be sustainably financed. “I ask the organised private sector to support President Tinubu and this administration in carrying these reforms through,” he said. ### Related Stories - [JUST IN: DSS, military, police arrest five over abduction of 20 corps members](https://westng.com/just-in-dss-military-police-arrest-five-over-abduction-of-20-corps-members/) - [NSCDC deploys Agro-Rangers to protect Oyo farmers, rural communities](https://westng.com/nscdc-deploys-agro-rangers-protect-oyo-farmers-rural-communities/) - [Ekiti police officers face disciplinary action over viral biker confrontation](https://westng.com/ekiti-police-officers-disciplinary-action-biker-confrontation/) - [Makinde hails Army expansion in Oyo, urges youths to enlist](https://westng.com/makinde-hails-army-expansion-oyo-youths-enlist/) “State police, in particular, deserves your active support because its success will affect the future of businesses represented in this room.” He specifically asked the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), chambers of commerce and other business associations to develop a position paper outlining practical and accountable ways of financing and implementing state police. According to him, private-sector participation could include funding communications systems, equipment maintenance and other infrastructure, as well as helping states develop long-term policing budgets. However, Gbajabiamila stressed that private funding must not compromise police independence. He said all contributions should be transparent, independently audited and structured to prevent businesses or wealthy individuals from gaining influence over police investigations. “A donation must never purchase influence over an investigation or preferential treatment,” he warned. ### 24 states clear constitutional hurdle Gbajabiamila also confirmed that 24 State Houses of Assembly had approved the constitutional amendment as of October 23, satisfying the two-thirds requirement under Section 9 of the 1999 Constitution. The National Assembly had earlier passed the amendment in both chambers. The approval by the states clears the way for the amendment to return to the National Assembly for transmission to President Tinubu for assent. Meanwhile, the Presidential Working Group has completed the drafting of the proposed National Policing Bill, 2026, alongside 29 consequential amendment bills. The documents were submitted to the Federal Ministry of Justice on October 19 for legislative drafting review and validation. The ministry is expected to return the reviewed bills to the working group by October 30, after which they will be presented to the President before eventual transmission to the National Assembly. The proposed legislation is designed to establish a dual policing structure comprising a Federal Police Service and State Police Services. ### Presidency proposes safeguards against abuse Gbajabiamila acknowledged concerns that decentralised policing could be abused by political actors, particularly against opponents or vulnerable communities. He said the proposed framework would combine greater state responsibility for policing with national professional standards, independent oversight and enforceable limits on police powers. “The concern that police powers could be used against political opponents or vulnerable communities is serious. Our answer is to place enforceable limits on those powers and provide remedies when they are abused,” he said. He also warned that states opting to establish their own police services must demonstrate the financial capacity to sustain them beyond the initial procurement of vehicles, uniforms and other equipment. Regular salaries, training and operational funding, he said, would be necessary to maintain professionalism and prevent officers from becoming vulnerable to improper influence. States that are not financially ready to establish their own police services would continue to rely on federal policing under the proposed framework. Gbajabiamila linked the reform to the Federal Government’s broader economic agenda, arguing that businesses cannot thrive without a dependable security environment. He cited fuel subsidy removal, foreign exchange and tax reforms as measures intended to strengthen government revenue and economic resilience. He also listed recent security investments by the administration, including new helicopters for Army Aviation, the return of more than 100 refurbished armoured fighting vehicles to service, three additional naval vessels commissioned in June to combat crude oil theft, the deployment of 10,000 Agro-Rangers across 19 states and the Federal Capital Territory, and the training of more than 7,000 Presidential Forest Guards from seven frontline states. He further disclosed that President Tinubu directed in August that a National Threat Assessment and a rolling five-year Strategic Defence Operations Plan be prepared to guide security spending and strengthen institutional accountability.