President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has withheld assent to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) Amendment Bill, 2025, citing concerns over constitutional compliance and financial transparency.
The development was disclosed in a letter addressed to the House of Representatives and read during plenary by Speaker Tajudeen Abbas.
President Tinubu, referencing Section 58(4) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), explained that the proposed amendment conflicts with existing fiscal protocols governing the management of public funds.
At the core of the President’s objection is a provision in the bill that seeks to empower the NDLEA to retain a portion of proceeds recovered from drug-related crimes. Tinubu argued that this contradicts established financial procedures, which require that all such proceeds be remitted into the Confiscated and Forfeited Properties Account.
According to the President, any disbursement to a recovery agency—such as the NDLEA must be carried out only through presidential approval, and with the explicit consent of the Federal Executive Council and the National Assembly. This process, he said, ensures transparency and maintains institutional checks and balances.
President Tinubu emphasized that no compelling justification had been presented to warrant a deviation from this accountability framework.
The bill now faces possible revision by the National Assembly to address the issues raised before it can be reconsidered for presidential assent.