By Gift ChapiOdekina
ABUJA-The House of Rep resentatives has begun clause-by-clause consideration of President Bola Tinubu’s executive bill seeking the establishment of state police, with lawmakers indicating they might adopt the Senate-passed version of the legislation with only minor adjustments.
Speaking at the meeting of the House Committee on Constitution Review yesterday, the Deputy Speaker of the House and Chairman of the Constitution Review Committee, Benjamin lu, said the House would lev- erage the work already done by the Senate to expedite the passage of what he described as a priority constitutional amendment aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s security architecture.
lu recalled that the House had earlier passed its own Constitution Alteration Bill on State Police on June 11 before proceeding on recess. However, lawmakers rescinded that decision on July 14, following the transmission of President Tinubu’s executive bill to enable consideration of the Pres“ou may recall that on June 11, before the recess, the House considered and passed the Police Constitution Alteration Bill.
However, following the introduction of an executive bill by the President, that decision was reversed by the House on July 14 to enable consideration of the executive cill coming from the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces,” lu said. He explained that the President, as Commander-in-Chief, was best positioned to initiate comprehensive security reforms capable of addressing the country’s evolving security challenges. According to him, the executive bill has already passed first and second readings in the House, while the extensive stakeholder engagement held during the National Assembly Open Week fulfilled the public hearing reirement for the leg- islation.
