Senator Adams Oshiomhole has faulted a proposed bill seeking to establish a training institute for the Police Service Commission (PSC), warning that the Senate must not become a “rubber stamp” for what he described as duplicative institutions.
The bill, titled Police Service Commission Training Institute (Establishment) Bill, 2025, was presented at Thursday’s plenary by Senator Yunus Akintunde on behalf of Abdulhamid Mallam-Madori, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Police Affairs.
But Oshiomhole, who represents Edo North, argued that the PSC does not require a separate training institute since it employs few people and has a limited operational mandate.
“This Senate must not rubber stamp everything,” he said. “We must be careful about multiplying institutions that add no value. The PSC has few staff, so who exactly is the institute meant to train?”
He questioned the rationale behind training an oversight body like the PSC instead of investing in the Nigeria Police Force directly.
“We should focus on training police officers and not those overseeing them,” Oshiomhole insisted.
In response, Akintunde clarified that the PSC is a constitutionally established body that coexists with the Ministry of Police Affairs and has not been scrapped.
He added that the proposed institute would be distinct from the police training facilities and would serve the specific needs of the commission.
Senator Abdul Ningi also intervened, cautioning Oshiomhole that the debate on the bill had passed its second reading stage.
“This is not the time to reopen debates,” Ningi said. “The Senate can only consider the recommendations from earlier stages unless amendments are proposed later.”
The bill is currently under consideration, pending further legislative action.
