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Tinubu Withholds Assent to Two Bills Over Fiscal Risks, Approves Two Police Laws
Tinubu Withholds Assent to Two Bills Over Fiscal Risks, Approves Two Police Laws
Sunday Aborisade in Abuja
President Bola Tinubu has declined assent to two bills recently passed by the National Assembly, citing fiscal and constitutional inconsistencies that could encourage mismanagement of public funds.
In a letter dated July 30, 2025, and read by Senate President Godswill Akpabio during plenary Tuesday, the president explained that he could not sign the Nigerian Institute of Transport Technology (Establishment) Bill, 2025, and the National Assembly Library Fund Bill due to “fundamental defects” in their provisions.
Tinubu said key clauses in the proposed transport institute law were inconsistent with existing financial regulations and posed “serious risks of financial abuse”.
He pointed specifically to Section 18(4a) of the bill, which seeks to allocate one per cent of all import and export levies in Nigeria to the institute, a provision, he said, was introduced without approval from the Federal Executive Council (FEC) and would duplicate existing revenue sources.
The president also faulted the section empowering the institute to borrow funds up to N50 million without presidential consent.
He warned that it could lead to repeated borrowing to circumvent oversight.
“This could be abused, as the institute may repeatedly request to borrow N50 million or less to avoid approval,” he cautioned.
Tinubu further observed that other sections of the bill, including 23 and 24(5), contained contradictions on the management and investment of funds.
He also said Section 18(2) allowed the institute to invest public funds in ways inconsistent with its core functions.
“Such provisions conflict with public finance principles, as agencies funded by government appropriations do not typically generate surplus revenues,” he stated.
On the National Assembly Library Fund Bill, the president said its funding provisions would create “unsustainable precedents” and strain the fiscal discipline of the federal budget.
He returned both bills to the National Assembly for reconsideration.
In response, Senate President Akpabio commended Tinubu for what he described as a “meticulous review” of the proposed laws.
He assured Tinubu that the Senate’s relevant committees would re-examine the affected provisions to address the identified concerns.
Meanwhile, the president assented to two other bills.
They are the Nigeria Police Force Training Institute (Establishment) Bill and the Nigeria Police Trust Fund (Establishment) Bill, which is aimed at strengthening police training and institutional capacity.
Akpabio, who announced the presidential assent at plenary, said the move reflects the administration’s continued commitment to reforming the security sector and improving the efficiency of law enforcement agencies.
Sunday Aborisade in Abuja President Bola Tinubu has declined assent to two bills recently passed by the National Assembly, citing fiscal and constitutional inconsistencies that could encourage mismanagement of public
