President Bola Tinubu has refused to sign two recently passed bills from the National Assembly, warning that certain provisions could undermine fiscal discipline, contradict existing laws, and create troubling precedents in public finance management.
The development was disclosed in letters from the President, read on the Senate floor by Senate President Godswill Akpabio during Tuesday’s plenary session.
The rejected bills are the Nigerian Institute of Transport Technology (Establishment) Bill, 2025, and the National Library Trust Fund (Establishment, etc.) Amendment Bill, 2025.
While acknowledging their objectives, Tinubu argued that several clauses conflicted with established fiscal and administrative principles guiding federal institutions.
On the Transport Technology Bill, the President faulted provisions introducing new levies, unregulated borrowing, and the investment of public funds in securities—actions he said could create opaque revenue channels and open the door to misuse.
He cited Section 18(4a), which proposed funding the institute through “one per cent of the freight on every import and export,” warning that such a levy—introduced without Federal Executive Council approval—would overburden trade and bypass the national budgetary process.
Tinubu also objected to Section 20, which empowered the institute to borrow up to ₦50 million without presidential consent, describing it as “a loophole that could enable repeated borrowing below the threshold to evade oversight.”
Additionally, Sections 21 and 23, which allowed the institute to invest government-appropriated funds, were described as “fiscally dangerous.”
“These provisions, if allowed, would not only undermine fiscal discipline but also create opportunities for financial abuse,” the President cautioned.
“For these reasons, I withhold my assent to the bill,” Tinubu wrote.
In a separate letter rejecting the National Library Trust Fund Amendment Bill, the President said that although the bill’s intentions were commendable, several sections clashed with existing federal laws and policy frameworks.
He pointed to provisions relating to agency funding, taxation of national entities, staff remuneration, and tenure or age limits as potentially “unsustainable and against the public interest.”
“For these reasons, I cannot grant presidential assent to the bill in its present form. I urge the Senate to revisit and address the identified issues,” the letter read.
Following the reading of the letters, Akpabio commended Tinubu’s “diligence in reviewing every legislation” and directed relevant committees to rework the affected bills for further legislative action.
“This demonstrates the seriousness with which Mr. President is reviewing every legislation we pass. It is now our responsibility to carefully address the issues he has raised,” Akpabio said.
The Senate subsequently referred the Transport Technology Bill to the Committee of the Whole, and the Library Trust Fund Amendment Bill to the Committees on Special Duties and Establishment and Public Service Matters for further scrutiny.
The decision marks another instance of the executive branch exercising closer scrutiny over legislative actions under Tinubu’s administration. The move underscores the President’s emphasis on tightening fiscal control and ensuring that legislative proposals align with his broader Renewed Hope economic reform agenda.
