By Mercy Aikoye
President Bola Tinubu has asked the House of Representatives to consider and pass three executive bills seeking to overhaul the legal framework for drug control, expand transport safety investigations and strengthen leadership development in the public service.
The bills, transmitted to the House in separate letters read by Speaker Abbas Tajudeen during Thursday’s plenary, are the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Bill, 2026; the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (Amendment) Bill, 2026; and the National School of Government Bill, 2026.
The proposed legislations are expected to introduce changes to existing laws governing drug-related offences, transport safety investigations and administrative training, as the Federal Government seeks to strengthen institutional capacity across the three sectors.
In the first communication, Tinubu, acting pursuant to Section 58(2) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, forwarded the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Bill, 2026, for consideration and passage.
The bill 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, replacing them with a consolidated legal framework for drug control and enforcement.
Under the proposed legislation, the NDLEA would operate within a comprehensive framework covering the cultivation, processing, sale, trafficking and use of hard drugs. It also seeks to empower the agency to investigate persons suspected of involvement in illicit drug activities.
The second bill seeks to expand the mandate of the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau beyond aviation to include rail, maritime and other transport-related incidents.
In his letter to the House, the President urged lawmakers to facilitate 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 proposed amendment is designed to reposition the Bureau as an independent, multimodal safety investigation authority, with broader investigative responsibilities across the transport sector.
It also provides for the transfer of supervisory oversight to the Presidency and seeks to strengthen the Bureau’s institutional, operational and administrative mandates.
The amendment would enable the Bureau to investigate safety occurrences across different modes of transportation, moving its responsibilities beyond the aviation sector and establishing a broader framework for transport safety investigations.
The third legislation, the National School of Government Bill, 2026, seeks to establish a national institution dedicated to leadership development, policy delivery and executive capacity building.
The bill proposes the repeal of the Administrative Staff College of Nigeria Act, Cap A4, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004, and its replacement with a new legal framework for the establishment and operation of the National School of Government, Nigeria.
According to the President, the proposed institution would provide a national platform for strengthening leadership skills, improving policy implementation and building the capacity of government officials to deliver public programmes more effectively.
