The Executive Director of the Rule of Law and Accountability Advocacy Centre ((RULAAC), Okechukwu Nwanguma, has called on the Federal Government to publish the proposed National Policing Bill before asking Nigerians to submit memoranda, arguing that meaningful public participation cannot take place without access to the draft legislation.
Nwanguma made the call while reacting to the Federal Government's invitation for stakeholders and members of the public to submit memoranda on the proposed state police framework.
He described the move as a step in the right direction but said the consultation process lacked transparency because the draft bill had not been made available for public scrutiny.
"Public consultation should begin with the publication of the draft legislation. Nigerians cannot submit useful memoranda on a bill they have not seen," he said.
According to him, the proposed legislation represents one of the most significant constitutional and institutional reforms since Nigeria's return to democratic rule and should be subjected to extensive public debate.
Nwanguma said the state police proposal would redefine policing powers, federal-state relations, accountability mechanisms, funding arrangements and safeguards against abuse, making broad stakeholder engagement essential.
He also faulted the legislative process, saying the bill moved rapidly through the National Assembly without the public hearings expected for a constitutional reform of such magnitude.
"If this state police bill is about public safety and security, then Nigerians, in whose name the bill is being proposed, should be able to study it and make informed contributions," he said.
The RULAAC chief urged the Presidential Working Group to immediately release the draft National Policing Bill, along with any proposed constitutional amendments, to enable state governments, civil society groups, professional bodies, legal practitioners, academics, traditional institutions and other stakeholders to review the proposals before submitting recommendations.
He also called on the National Assembly to fulfil what he described as its constitutional responsibility by publishing the bill, inviting written memoranda and conducting open public hearings before taking any final legislative action.
"Transparency should not be an afterthought. It should be the foundation of the process," Nwanguma said.
He maintained that public participation without public access to the proposed legislation amounts to an uninformed consultation, insisting that Nigerians deserve adequate time and information to contribute meaningfully to reforms that could reshape the country's policing structure.
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