President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has withheld his assent to the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) Amendment Bill, citing concerns over its provision allowing the agency to retain part of the proceeds recovered during its operations.
The decision was communicated to the House of Representatives during Thursday’s plenary session, where Speaker Abbas Tajudeen read the president’s letter to lawmakers.
According to Tinubu, the proposed changes contradict the current financial management framework, which mandates that all confiscated assets and funds be deposited into the federal government’s Confiscated and Forfeited Properties Account.
“Disbursements to any recovery agency, including the NDLEA, can only be made through presidential approval, subject to the consent of the Federal Executive Council and the National Assembly,” the president noted.
He further argued that the amendment lacked a strong justification for altering a process specifically designed to ensure transparency and accountability by involving both the executive and legislative branches.
“There is no compelling reason to change the current process, which promotes transparency,” Tinubu said.
The rejected bill had sought to enhance the financial autonomy of the NDLEA by allowing it to directly manage a portion of the assets and funds seized during drug enforcement operations. However, the presidency maintained that such autonomy could undermine existing oversight mechanisms.
