LAGOS, Nigeria — President Bola Tinubu has declared a state of emergency on Nigeria’s security training institutions, directing an urgent overhaul of facilities used to train personnel of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), and other internal security agencies.
The development was announced on Tuesday, November 4, 2025, by Peter Mbah, Governor of Enugu State and chairman of the National Economic Council (NEC) ad-hoc committee tasked with reforming the institutions.
Mbah spoke during an on-site inspection of several training centres in Lagos, where he was joined by Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun, former Inspector General of Police Alkali Usman Baba, who serves as the committee’s secretary, and Assistant Inspector General of Police Olatunji Disu, commander of the Special Protection Unit.
Mbah said the President was deeply concerned about the poor condition of training facilities and the implications for security professionalism and public safety.
“The President was disturbed about the outdated facilities being used to train security workforce who are expected to exhibit human dignity to other Nigerians,” he said.
According to Mbah, Tinubu issued the directive during the last NEC meeting on Thursday, October 23, 2025, stating that the present state of security training institutions falls short of his ambition to modernise the security architecture and support his target of growing the economy to one trillion dollars within five years.
Mbah said the committee has been given a 30-day deadline to submit a comprehensive reform blueprint.
“The President gave the mandate at the last NEC… that the present state of the security training institutions did not align with his dream of growing the economy to one trillion dollar in the next five years,” he noted, stressing that upgraded infrastructure, equipment, and training standards were essential to meet Nigeria’s evolving security demands.
The inspection visit marks an early step in what federal officials describe as a far-reaching reform plan intended to improve professionalism, discipline, and human rights compliance among security personnel.
Concerns over police training and conduct have persisted for years, intensified by public demands for improved accountability and operational effectiveness.
The committee’s final recommendations are expected to outline funding requirements, infrastructure priorities, curriculum improvements, and partnerships with domestic and international law-enforcement institutions.
Once the report is submitted, it will be reviewed by the National Economic Council for immediate implementation, Mbah said.
