President Bola Tinubu has refused to approve the National Assembly Library Trust Fund (Establishment) Amendment Bill, 2025, citing problems with current federal laws and practices.
Tinubu wrote to the Speaker of the House of Representatives on Tuesday, expressing concern that the proposed legislation contradicted established federal laws and policies, despite its admirable goals.
The President observed that the draft contains articles dealing with funding sources for National Assembly agencies, taxation of national entities, public sector salaries, and age and years of service, all of which he said might set a dangerous and unsustainable precedent.
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“Despite the commendable objectives of the legislation, certain provisions within it contradict the established laws and policies of the federal government of Nigeria regarding the funding of agencies under the National Assembly, taxation of national entities, public service remuneration, and age and years of service, among other issues,” Mr. Tinubu said.
The Nigerian leader warned that enacting the measure in its current form would not only violate existing governance structures, but would also jeopardize the public interest.
“If this bill becomes law, these provisions will establish an unsustainable precedent against the public interest,” according to the president.
As a result, President Tinubu informed the House that he would not give presidential sanction to the Act and urged MPs to reconsider and solve the raised issues.
“I hope that the House of Representatives will take necessary steps to fix the identified issues with the legislation,” the titular letter stated.
The National Assembly Library Trust Fund Amendment Bill, 2025, is intended, among other things, to improve the operations and finance of the parliamentary library system, according to reports.
