Tinubu seeks tougher laws on hard drug cultivation, trafficking, sale

… transmits 2 bills seeking to expand transport safety mandate, national school of government

President Bola Tinubu has sought the approval of the House of Representatives for three executive bills aimed at strengthening drug law enforcement, expanding transport safety investigations and reforming leadership and capacity development in government.

Speaker Abbas Tajudeen read the President’s letters during Thursday’s plenary.

In the first letter, Tinubu, pursuant to Section 58(2) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, forwarded the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Bill, 2026, to the House for consideration and passage.

According to the President, the proposed legislation seeks to repeal the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act, Cap N30, and the Indian Hemp Act, Cap 16, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, while introducing a consolidated legal framework for drug control and enforcement.

The bill, as conveyed by the President, seeks to establish a comprehensive framework to enforce the law against the cultivation, processing, sale, trafficking and use of hard drugs, while empowering the agency to investigate persons suspected of dealing in illicit substances.

The proposed legislation is expected to provide an opportunity for lawmakers to consider the existing legal framework governing the NDLEA and the regulation of drug-related offences in the country.

In a separate communication, Tinubu also sought the timely passage of the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (Amendment) Bill, 2026, which seeks to amend the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (Establishment) Act, No. 35 of 2022.

The President explained that the proposed amendment was designed to reposition the Bureau as an independent, multimodal safety investigation authority, with responsibilities extending beyond the aviation sector.

Specifically, the bill seeks to “reposition the Bureau as an independent multimodal safety investigation authority, expand its mandate beyond aviation to encompass rail, maritime and other transport occurrences, transfer supervisory oversight to the Presidency, and strengthen its institutional, operational and administrative mandates.”

The proposed amendment would broaden the Bureau’s investigative responsibilities to cover safety occurrences across multiple transport modes, rather than limiting its activities primarily to aviation-related incidents.

The proposed transfer of supervisory oversight to the Presidency and the strengthening of the Bureau’s institutional and operational mandates are also central features of the executive legislation submitted to the National Assembly.

The third bill transmitted by the President is the National School of Government Bill, 2026, which seeks to establish a new national institution for leadership development, policy delivery and executive capacity building.

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According to the President, the proposed legislation seeks to repeal the Administrative Staff College of Nigeria Act, Cap A4, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, and replace it with a new legal framework for the establishment and operation of the National School of Government, Nigeria.

The bill seeks to “enact the National School of Government Act to establish the National School of Government, Nigeria as a national institution for leadership, development, policy delivery and executive capacity building.”

The proposed institution is intended to provide a national framework for strengthening leadership development and executive capacity, with an emphasis on improving the capacity of government personnel to deliver public policies and programmes.

Tinubu, in his communications to the House, solicited the expeditious consideration of the three bills, urging the lawmakers to facilitate their timely passage.