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The Federal Government has declared that Nigeria is primed for the establishment of state police, reaffirming that decentralised policing will become operational once the required constitutional and legislative frameworks are concluded.
Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, stated that President Bola Tinubu remains resolute in seeing the reform through as soon as the National Assembly enacts the necessary laws.
Idris spoke on Thursday in Abuja while receiving a delegation from the Centre for Crisis Communication, led by its Chairman, Major General Chris Olukolade (retd.), at the ministry’s headquarters.
Emphasising the urgency of security reforms, the minister said decentralised policing is vital to tackling Nigeria’s increasingly complex security landscape.
“It is the desire of President Bola Tinubu to ensure that we have state police as soon as it is practicable in this country. The time has indeed come for that,” he said, noting that the President has already urged the National Assembly to pass enabling legislation to facilitate the transition.
Beyond security restructuring, Idris highlighted the growing importance of strategic communication in managing national crises, especially in a fast-paced digital environment where narratives can shape public perception as quickly as events unfold.
“In today’s digital age, crises are no longer only defined by events, but also by how information spreads as fast as it does. Digital innovation is therefore central to timely, accurate, and coordinated communication, especially during moments of national importance,” Idris said.
He welcomed key proposals presented by the Centre, including plans to establish a National Crisis Communication Hub and introduce a Crisis Communication Performance Index. According to him, such initiatives are consistent with the ministry’s broader reform objectives.
The minister assured the delegation that recommendations from the November 2025 National Symposium on Digital Innovation and Crisis Communication would be carefully reviewed to determine how they can reinforce ongoing federal reforms.
Idris further underscored the need for responsible deployment of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and social media platforms, warning that while they are powerful tools, they must be used in a manner that safeguards public trust and national interest without undermining freedom of expression.
He also praised the Centre for promoting inter-agency cooperation through research, training, media monitoring, and its monthly Strategic Communication Inter-Agency Policy Committee meetings held in collaboration with the Office of the National Security Adviser.
Earlier, Olukolade expressed appreciation to the minister for backing crisis communication reforms, saying, “Your gesture added so much weight and the necessary authority and integrity to a gathering that brought together spokespersons, technology experts, security personnel, scholars, and media professionals from across the country.”
He described the November 2025 symposium as generating practical recommendations aimed at modernising Nigeria’s crisis communication architecture through improved infrastructure, stronger institutional capacity, and inclusive governance mechanisms.
Olukolade also sought the minister’s formal endorsement of the proposed National Crisis Communication Hub and the performance index framework, explaining that the measures would enable real-time monitoring of information flows, coordinated countermeasures against misinformation, and enhanced accountability across institutions.
Among those present at the meeting were the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation, Ogbodo Nnam; Director of Public Relations and Protocol, Suleiman Haruna; Special Assistant (Administration) to the Minister, Dr. Sunday Baba; Rear Admiral Aminu Almu; Commodore Kabir Aliyu; and the Executive Secretary of the Centre for Crisis Communication, Alhaji Yushua’u Shuaib.
The renewed push follows recent remarks by President Tinubu reiterating his commitment to state police as a strategy to curb rising security threats nationwide, including his appeal to the leadership of the 10th Senate to expedite constitutional amendments that would provide the legal foundation for the reform.
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