President Bola Tinubu has refused to approve two pieces of legislation forwarded by the National Assembly, citing serious legal inconsistencies and potential financial irregularities.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio read the President’s correspondence during Tuesday’s plenary session. The letter, dated July 30, 2025, outlined why the bills could not be signed into law.
The first rejected legislation is the Nigerian Institute of Transport Technology (Establishment) Bill, 2025. Invoking Section 58(4) of the 1999 Constitution as amended, Tinubu formally communicated his refusal to grant assent.
The President identified multiple problematic provisions within the transport institute bill. Section 18(4a) proposes allocating one percent of all import and export levies to the institute. Tinubu revealed this clause was introduced without Federal Executive Council authorization. He argued that since the institute would already receive federal funding, adding levy-based revenue would create redundant financing and impose unwarranted fiscal strain.
Another contentious provision appears in Section 21(2), which would permit the institute to borrow money or secure overdrafts without presidential approval for amounts under ₦50 million. Existing legislation requires presidential consent for all borrowing. Tinubu warned this modification lacks justification and opens the door to abuse, as the institute could circumvent oversight through repeated smaller loan requests.
The President also pointed to contradictions in Sections 23 and 24(5) regarding fund management. Although the institute would be financed through federal appropriations, the bill allows it to invest surplus funds. Tinubu noted this violates standard public finance practice, since government-funded agencies do not typically generate investment surpluses.
Section 18(2) further compounds the confusion by permitting funds designated for core operations to be diverted into ministerially approved securities, directly conflicting with the section’s stated purpose of advancing the institute’s primary mission.
Given these deficiencies, the President returned the bill to the National Assembly for comprehensive revision.
Tinubu also withheld approval from the National Assembly Library Fund bill, stating its funding mechanism would establish unsustainable precedents. Details of the specific concerns were not elaborated in the correspondence read during plenary.
Akpabio commended the President’s thorough review and announced that relevant committees would examine both bills to address the identified issues.
In contrast, Tinubu has approved two other pieces of legislation: the Nigeria Police Force Training Institute establishment bill and the Nigeria Police Trust Fund establishment bill. Both have now been enacted into law.
