President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has declined to sign the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) Bill, 2025 into law, raising concerns over its potential to breach existing financial regulations and compromise government oversight.
The President’s decision was formally conveyed in a letter addressed to the House of Representatives, which was read during Thursday’s plenary session.
In the letter, Tinubu invoked the powers granted to him under Section 58(4) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), which allows the President to withhold assent to any bill passed by the National Assembly.
At the heart of the President’s rejection lies a controversial provision in the proposed legislation that would empower the NDLEA to retain a portion of the proceeds recovered from drug-related crimes.
Tinubu warned that such an arrangement would violate current fiscal protocols and weaken the system of checks and balances designed to guide the management of public funds.
"All proceeds of crime are paid into the government’s Confiscated and Forfeited Properties Account.
“Disbursements to any recovery agency, including the NDLEA, can only be made by presidential approval, subject to the consent of the Federal Executive Council and the National Assembly,” the President stated in his letter.
According to Tinubu, the existing framework ensures transparency and accountability in the handling of recovered assets, which is critical to maintaining public trust and preventing the abuse of discretionary powers by enforcement agencies.
He further emphasised that the proposal in the NDLEA bill runs contrary to this process, as it seeks to establish a parallel revenue stream for the agency without adequate oversight.
The President argued that there was no compelling justification to amend a structure that currently provides both executive and legislative scrutiny over the disbursement of recovered funds.
While acknowledging the critical role of the NDLEA in combating drug trafficking and related crimes, Tinubu maintained that financial discipline and institutional accountability must not be compromised in the process.
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