The Nigerian Senate, in a plenary session presided over by the Deputy Senate President, Senator Barau Jibrin, on Thursday passed the Bill for an Act to Establish the Police Service Commission Training Institute (Establishment) Bill, 2024 (SB.564) but not without heated exchanges on the floor, particularly between Edo North Lawmaker, Senator Adams Oshiomhole (Edo North) and the Bill?s sponsor, Senator Abdulhamid Ahmed Mallam-Madori (Jigawa North-East).

The Bill, which had passed second reading in October 2024 and undergone extensive public hearing, seeks to provide advanced training and continuing education for staff of the Police Service Commission (PSC) and other oversight bodies. It also aims to enhance the Commission?s capacity to supervise the Nigeria Police Force effectively.

According to the report laid by the Senate Committee on Police Affairs, chaired by Senator Abdulhamid Mallam-Madori, the institute will;

Serve as a hub for training, research, conferences, and policy formulation;

Promote inter-agency collaboration and international best practices in policing oversight;

Improve transparency, professionalism, and standards in the Commission?s operations.

The Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin, who represented the Senate President at the public hearing, had earlier underscored that ?internal security is of utmost importance to every nation? and reaffirmed the Senate?s commitment to the initiative.

Maidori gave highlights of what transpired during the public hearing saying;

?Other stakeholders also expressed support for the Bill, stating that the establishment of the Police Service Commission institute would strengthen oversight functions over the Nigeria Police Force and promote modern policing.

?From the submissions made by stakeholders during the public hearing, as well as an analysis of oral and written memoranda, the Committee makes the following;

?The establishment of the Police Service Commission Institute will enhance the capacity of personnel to effectively perform their constitutional oversight functions over the Nigeria Police Force.

Despite the Bill?s journey through stakeholder consultations and a public hearing, debate ensued when Senator Adams Oshiomhole stood to question the rationale and nomenclature.

Oshiomhole argued that the Bill?s title should more appropriately be ?Police Training Institute? rather than ?Police Service Commission Training Institute,? insisting that the focus should be on training police officers directly rather than a supervisory body with limited staff strength.

?I have concerns about the heading,?.?The Nigeria Police Service Commission is more of a supervisory agency. I think the heading just needs to be amended to reflect ?Nigeria Police Training Institute?, Oshiomhole said.

When the Deputy Senate President interjected to clarify that the proposed Institute is specifically for training PSC staff not the entire Police Force Oshiomhole maintained that the structure was unnecessarily duplicative.

?We have to be careful about the multiplication of institutions that add no value whatsoever,? he cautioned. ?Besides the Nigeria Police Force, how many people are employed under the Police Service Commission? This country should invest in training policemen and women not duplicating institutions that may not even be sustainable.?

Sponsor Fires Back

The Bill?s sponsor, Senator Mallam-Madori, rose to clarify that the PSC had never been abolished, contrary to Oshiomhole?s assertion that it once was scrapped for a Ministry of Police Affairs.

?There?s quite a word of difference between the Police Force and the Service Commission,? he explained. ?This Senate passed the training institute for the Nigerian Police Force earlier this year. What the PSC is requesting is separate a training institute for its staff to carry out oversight functions effectively.?

Tensions heightened when Oshiomhole interrupted, arguing that the rules did not allow the sponsor to speak while he was on the floor. The Deputy Senate President had to step in to restore order, allowing Oshiomhole to complete his submission before the debate concluded.

Senate Rules Prevail

Bringing the back-and-forth to a close, Senator Abdul Ningi (Bauchi Central) invoked Senate rules to guide the proceedings;

?We must be guided by our own rules. At the third reading, there is no debate. This Bill has gone through second reading, public presentation, and a hearing. All we do now is accept what the public has said not inject personal opinions.?

In the end of the debate the Senate passed the Bill for third reading through a voice vote afterwhich the Bill was read for the third time.

With today?s passage, the Bill will move to the House of Representatives for concurrence before transmission to the President for assent.

If signed into law, Nigeria will join other countries like Ghana, Kenya, and South Africa, which already have dedicated training institutes to strengthen police oversight and promote modern policing standards.

Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin, who chaired today?s session, commended members for their diligence despite the spirited debate, reaffirming the Red Chamber?s commitment to bolstering internal security structures through legislative means. (Daily Sun)

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