President Bola Tinubu has declined to sign the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) Amendment Bill, 2025, recently passed by the National Assembly.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the bill sought to empower the NDLEA to retain a portion of the proceeds recovered from drug-related crimes—a proposal that deviates from the current legal provisions.
The President’s decision was formally conveyed to the House of Representatives and read during Thursday’s plenary by Speaker Tajudeen Abbas.
Citing Section 58(4) of the 1999 Constitution, President Tinubu argued that the bill conflicts with existing laws, which mandate that all proceeds from criminal activities be paid into the Confiscated and Forfeited Properties Account.
He further clarified that under current regulations, any allocation of such funds to relevant agencies must be authorized by the President, and only with the consent of both the Federal Executive Council and the National Assembly.
