President Bola Tinubu has declined assent to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Amendment (NDLEA) Bill, 2025.
Tajudeen Abbas, speaker of the house of representatives, read the letter containing Tinubu’s decision on the bill during Thursday’s plenary.
Tinubu noted that the bill seeks to empower the NDLEA to retain a portion of proceeds from drug-related crimes, noting that it is against extant financial regulations.
Tinubu said that under the current system, all proceeds of crime are paid into the government’s confiscated and forfeited property accounts and should remain so for proper oversight.
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“Is it pursuant to section 58 subsection of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 as amended, I hereby convey to the house of representatives my decision to decline assent to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Amendment Bill 2025,” the letter reads.
“The rationale for my decision is that the bill seeks to give the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency power to retain a portion of the proceeds of drug-related crime.
“Currently, all proceeds of crime must be paid into the confiscated and forfeited properties account.
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“In addition to this, payments to the relevant organisation responsible for recoveries can only be made by the president, subject to the approval of the federal executive council (FEC) and the national assembly.
“There is no compelling reason to change the current process, which promotes transparency, as it involves executive and legislative oversight.”
On Tuesday Tinubu declined assent to a bill seeking to establish the National Assembly Library Trust Fund, 2025.
Tinubu raised several concerns about the bill, particularly about funding, signing the bill in its current form could create an impractical precedent.
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