The Presidency has extended the deadline for the submission of memoranda and position papers on the proposed National Policing Bill to August 21, 2026.
The Presidential Working Group on the National Policing Bill announced the extension on Thursday, moving the deadline from the earlier date of August 13 to 5:00 p.m. on Friday, August 21, 2026.
The Chairman of the Working Group and Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, Femi Gbajabiamila, said the extension was aimed at giving individuals, institutions and organisations more time to make substantive contributions to the proposed legislation.
The Presidency had initially announced that the public consultation would close at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday.
In a statement, Gbajabiamila said the Working Group was committed to ensuring that the drafting process reflected broad consultations and the informed views of Nigerians and key stakeholders.
He urged legal practitioners, civil society organisations, security professionals, state governments, professional associations, academics, experts and other interested members of the public to use the extended period to submit their memoranda and position papers.
According to him, all submissions must be made through the official National Policing Bill portal before the new deadline.
The proposed bill is designed to establish the operational, administrative, institutional and funding framework for a more effective policing system capable of responding to Nigeria’s changing security challenges.
It is also expected to strengthen accountability, professionalism and the protection of citizens’ rights within the country’s policing architecture.
Gbajabiamila said stakeholders’ contributions were particularly important given the significance of the proposed reform to Nigeria’s internal security.
He noted that several critical issues required thorough consideration, including sustainable funding, command and control structures, recruitment and training standards, operational jurisdiction, inter-agency cooperation, accountability and safeguards against political interference and abuse.
“These considerations underscore the importance of robust stakeholder engagement in developing a framework that is effective, accountable, sustainable and responsive to the peculiar security needs of communities across the federation,” he said.
The Working Group is expected to produce a final, implementation-ready draft of the National Policing Bill after completing its consultations and present the Executive Bill package to President Tinubu for review on September 3, 2026.
The National Policing Bill portal was launched on August 3, when Gbajabiamila announced the commencement of the public consultation process.
The Working Group thanked stakeholders who had already submitted their views and urged others interested in the proposed policing reforms to take advantage of the additional time to participate.
