The House of Representatives has commenced clause-by-clause consideration of President Bola Tinubu's Executive Bill seeking the establishment of state police, with lawmakers indicating they may adopt the Senate-approved version of the legislation with only minor amendments to speed up its passage.

The Deputy Speaker of the House and Chairman of the House Committee on Constitution Review, Benjamin Kalu, disclosed this during the committee's meeting on Monday, saying the House would build on the Senate's work to fast-track what he described as a priority constitutional amendment designed to strengthen Nigeria's security architecture.

Kalu recalled that the House had earlier passed its Constitution Alteration Bill on State Police on June 11 before proceeding on recess. However, lawmakers reversed that decision on July 14 after President Bola Tinubu transmitted an Executive Bill on the same subject to the National Assembly for consideration.

"You 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 Bill coming from the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces," Kalu said.

He noted that the President, as Commander-in-Chief, is best positioned to initiate comprehensive security reforms capable of addressing Nigeria's evolving security challenges.

According to him, the Executive Bill has already passed first and second readings in the House, while extensive stakeholder engagements held during the National Assembly Open Week fulfilled the constitutional requirement for a public hearing.

"The bill has been referred to this committee, and the committee is not just the Deputy Speaker and the Deputy Chairman. The committee is you and I. Our responsibility is to carefully scrutinise this legislation and ensure that it reflects the aspirations and expectations of the Nigerian people," he said.

Kalu described the proposed State Police Bill as one of President Tinubu's signature constitutional reform initiatives, noting that Tinubu had consistently championed a multi-layered policing system since his tenure as Governor of Lagos State.

"I must emphasise that the State Police Bill remains one of the signature constitutional reform initiatives of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. As Governor of Lagos State, he was among the earliest advocates of multi-layered policing as a strategic solution to Nigeria's security challenges. Today, as President, he is championing the same cause, demonstrating consistency between his convictions and his actions," he stated.

The Deputy Speaker stressed that although the executive, legislature and judiciary operate as separate arms of government, they remain united in pursuing national priorities, particularly improving security across the country.

He explained that lawmakers convened on Monday, outside the House's regular Tuesday legislative schedule, because of the urgency attached to the proposed amendment.

"We are here today not because it is convenient for us. Our parliamentary week ordinarily begins on Tuesday, but duty calls, and time is of the essence. We are joining hands with the executive to ensure that this collaborative effort results in the successful passage of this priority constitutional amendment," he said.

Kalu also revealed that both chambers of the National Assembly were working closely to harmonise their efforts and accelerate the constitutional amendment process, expressing confidence that the bill would receive presidential assent once passed by the legislature.

Explaining the committee's assignment, he said members would use the Senate-approved version of the Executive Bill as the working document during the clause-by-clause review.

"The purpose of today's meeting is to consider the Executive Bill clause by clause and make appropriate recommendations to the House. We must note that the Senate has already considered and adopted the bill with certain amendments, and copies of that version have been circulated to members. This document will serve as our working draft throughout this exercise," he said.

According to Kalu, the Executive Bill is substantially similar to the version previously considered by the House, with only a few modifications. The additions include a new Section 31 containing interpretation, transitional and saving provisions to facilitate the implementation of the proposed state police framework, alongside other consequential amendments.

He added that the Senate introduced about eight minor amendments, which the House Committee would examine and adopt where necessary.

"As we proceed with this amendment process, we shall take into consideration the work already done by the Senate and adopt it where applicable," he said.

The clause-by-clause consideration of the Executive State Police Bill marks another major milestone in the ongoing constitutional amendment process as lawmakers seek to establish a constitutionally backed multi-tier policing system aimed at strengthening internal security and improving policing across the federation.