President Bola Tinubu has withheld assent to two bills recently passed by the National Assembly, citing legal and policy inconsistencies.
The affected legislation are the Nigerian Institute of Transport Technology (Establishment) Bill, 2025, and the National Library Trust Fund (Establishment) Amendment Bill, 2025.
In two separate letters addressed to Senate President Godswill Akpabio and read during Tuesday’s plenary, President Tinubu explained that both bills contained provisions that conflicted with existing financial and administrative frameworks.
On the Transport Technology Bill, the President described the legislation as “tainted with fundamental defects.”
He noted that Section 18 of the bill proposed funding the institute through a one per cent levy on all imports and exports without prior approval — a provision he said was inconsistent with fiscal policies and oversight procedures.
Tinubu further faulted Section 21(2) of the bill, which empowers the institute to borrow funds up to ₦50 million without presidential consent, warning that such autonomy could lead to “serious financial abuse.”
He also questioned the clause permitting the institute to invest “surplus funds,” noting that agencies funded by federal allocations are not expected to generate surpluses.
“The issue of investing surplus funds applies to revenue-generating agencies, not those financed by government appropriations,” the President wrote, describing the section as contradictory and prone to fund diversion.
On the National Library Trust Fund Amendment Bill, Tinubu cited ambiguities and conflicts with existing government policies on funding, taxation, remuneration, and tenure limits for public servants.
He warned that signing the bill in its current form “would set an unsustainable precedent against public interest.”
Senate President Godswill Akpabio commended the President for his attention to legislative details, saying the feedback would help the National Assembly address the identified gaps.
“This is very impressive because it means the executive took time to go through the bills. We will do justice to all the observations,” Akpabio said.
