President Bola Tinubu, on Tuesday, sent two bills to the Senate for consideration, seeking to reform Nigeria’s drug enforcement system and broaden the investigative authority of the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau.
The bills, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Bill 2026 and the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau Amendment Bill 2026, were submitted to the upper chamber in separate letters addressed to Senate President Godswill Akpabio.
The proposed laws aim to unify existing legislation on drug-related offenses and reposition the NSIB as an independent, multimodal safety investigation authority with jurisdiction extending beyond aviation accidents.
Both bills were submitted under Section 58(2) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, which provides for bills to be presented to the President for assent after being passed by the National Assembly.
In his letter concerning the NDLEA Bill, Tinubu stated that the proposed legislation would repeal the current NDLEA Act and the Indian Hemp Act while creating a unified legal framework to combat drug-related offenses.
The President said the bill is intended to strengthen enforcement against the cultivation, processing, sale, trafficking, and use of illicit drugs, while authorizing the agency to investigate individuals 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 called on the Senate to consider the proposed legislation promptly.
After its presentation, Akpabio referred the NDLEA Bill to the Senate Committee on Rules and Business for additional legislative action.
In a separate letter, the president submitted the NSIB Amendment Bill 2026, proposing changes to the legal framework that governs the bureau.
The proposed amendment aims to revise the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (Establishment) Act No. 35 of 2022, strengthening the bureau’s independence and extending its mandate to accidents and incidents involving multiple forms of transportation.
Under the proposed revisions, the bureau’s investigative duties would go beyond aviation to cover rail, maritime, and other transport-related incidents.
The bill also proposes placing the bureau under the supervisory oversight of the Presidency while enhancing its institutional, operational, and administrative powers.
The proposed expansion follows renewed concern over aviation safety after the October 5 crash of a Nigerian Air Force ATR-42 aircraft near Igbokoda in Ondo State, which reportedly claimed 25 lives.
The Senate has since demanded a comprehensive inquiry into the crash, as well as an audit of military aircraft serviceability and maintenance funding.
In his letter forwarding the NSIB bill, Tinubu asked the Senate to consider the proposed changes pursuant to Section 58(2) of the Constitution and urged lawmakers to act swiftly on the legislation.
Akpabio later referred the bill to the Senate Committee on Rules and Business for additional legislative consideration.
The two bills will now face further legislative review, with the proposed NDLEA legislation aimed at creating a unified framework for drug law enforcement and the NSIB amendment intended to expand the reach of independent safety investigations throughout Nigeria’s transport sector.
