Tinubu transmits NDLEA, NSIB amendment bills to Senate

President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday transmitted two bills seeking to overhaul Nigeria’s drug enforcement framework and expand the investigative powers of the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau to the Senate for consideration.

The bills, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Bill 2026 and the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau Amendment Bill 2026, were forwarded to the upper chamber in separate letters addressed to the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio.

The proposed legislation seeks to consolidate existing laws on drug-related offences and reposition the NSIB as an independent, multimodal safety investigation authority with jurisdiction beyond aviation accidents.

Both bills were transmitted pursuant to Section 58(2) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, which provides for the presentation of bills to the President for assent after passage by the National Assembly.

In his letter on the NDLEA Bill, Tinubu said the proposed legislation would repeal the existing NDLEA Act and the Indian Hemp Act and establish a consolidated legal framework for combating drug-related offences.

According to the President, the bill seeks to strengthen enforcement against the cultivation, processing, sale, trafficking and use of illicit drugs, while empowering the agency to investigate persons suspected of involvement in drug-related activities.

The letter reads, “The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Bill 2026 seeks to repeal the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act, Cap. N30, and the Indian Hemp Act, Cap. I16, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004, and to enact a consolidated framework to enforce the law against the cultivation, processing, sale, trafficking and use of hard drugs.”

Tinubu urged the Senate to give the proposed legislation expeditious consideration.

“While looking forward to the usual expeditious consideration of this submission, please accept, Distinguished Senate President and Distinguished Senators, the assurances of my highest consideration,” the letter stated.

Following its presentation, Akpabio referred the NDLEA Bill to the Senate Committee on Rules and Business for further legislative action.

In a separate letter, the President transmitted the NSIB Amendment Bill 2026, seeking changes to the legal framework governing the bureau.

The proposed amendment seeks to amend the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (Establishment) Act No. 35 of 2022 to strengthen the bureau’s independence and expand its mandate to cover accidents and incidents involving multiple modes of transportation.

Under the proposed changes, the bureau’s investigative responsibilities would extend beyond aviation to include rail, maritime and other transport-related occurrences.

The bill also seeks to transfer supervisory oversight of the bureau to the Presidency and strengthen its institutional, operational and administrative powers.

The proposed expansion comes amid renewed attention to aviation safety following the October 5 crash of a Nigerian Air Force ATR-42 aircraft near Igbokoda in Ondo State, which reportedly killed 32 people.

The Senate has since called for a comprehensive investigation into the crash and an audit of military aircraft serviceability and maintenance funding.

In his letter transmitting the NSIB bill, Tinubu requested the Senate’s consideration of the proposed changes in accordance with Section 58(2) of the Constitution and urged lawmakers to expedite action on the legislation.

Akpabio subsequently referred the bill to the Senate Committee on Rules and Business for further legislative consideration.

The two bills will now undergo further legislative scrutiny, with the proposed NDLEA legislation targeting a consolidated framework for drug law enforcement and the NSIB amendment seeking to broaden the scope of independent safety investigations across Nigeria’s transport sector.