By Comfort Olayinka
In a spirited defense of his motion on the floor of the House of Representatives, Hon. Kalejaye Adeboye Paul the member representing Ajeromi-Ifelodun Federal Constituency of Lagos State, has called for the full implementation of the Nigerian Police Academy Act 2021 through the establishment of multi-campus police academies across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.
Amid vigorous debate, Hon. Kalejaye argued that expanding the Academy is crucial to addressing Nigeria’s worsening security crisis by producing more intellectually equipped, high-level police personnel.
Speaking in an exclusive interview, the lawmaker emphasized that although the motion faced opposition over concerns about funding and current infrastructure gaps, such arguments should not override the urgent need to bolster Nigeria’s security manpower.
“The Nigerian police is grossly understaffed,” he said. “How can 20 officers in a divisional station confront hundreds of bandits? We need both quantity and quality and that means investing in high-level police education.”
The lawmaker clarified that the motion was originally considered as a bill but was eventually presented as a motion to strengthen the existing act rather than amend it unnecessarily.
While critics cited the poor state of the existing Police Academy in Wudil, Kano, Hon. Kalejaye countered by proposing that underutilized police colleges across the country be upgraded to campuses of the Academy, rather than building entirely new institutions.
He added that expanding the Academy would ensure regional inclusion, similar to the decentralization model now used by the Nigerian Law School.
“Why must every officer go to one academy? Security training should reflect Nigeria’s diversity,” he said.
On the funding challenge, the lawmaker stressed that security must be a top national priority, even above economic constraints.
“The protection of lives is the first duty of government. Without security, there can be no economy, no democracy, no development,” he affirmed.
The proposed decentralization aims to train a new generation of tech-savvy, intellectually grounded officers capable of tackling complex security threats, from insurgency to cybercrime.
Hon. Kalejaye’s motion has ignited renewed national conversation on security sector reform and is expected to gain further traction as the Constitution Review process continues.
