ABUJA, Nigeria (CHATNEWSTV) — President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has declined to sign a bill establishing the Federal University of Education, Numan, in Adamawa State, citing multiple errors in the legislation.
The bill, passed by the National Assembly in 2024, was rejected due to provisions that erroneously transferred authority over university land to the state governor instead of the president, among other mistakes.
The president’s decision was conveyed in a letter read by Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu on the floor of the House of Representatives on Tuesday.
“Pursuant to Section 58(4) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended), I hereby convey to the House of Representatives my decision on 23rd December 2024 to decline Presidential assent to the Federal University of Education Numan (Establishment) Bill, 2024 recently passed by the National Assembly,” Tinubu wrote.
He outlined several errors in the bill, including:
— “Section 22 of the Bill accords the authority to consent to the disposal of land to the Governor and not the President as ought to be the case in respect of land belonging to a Federal Government entity.”
— “The word ‘statutes’ is spelled as ‘statues’ in items 13 and 15 under arrangement of sections.”
— “The preposition ‘of’ is omitted between the word ‘award’ and ‘degree’ in Section 25(4)(b).”
— “The phrase ‘one-third’ is spelled as ‘on-third’ in Article 4(3) of the third schedule to the Bill.”
Following the reading of the letter, the House adjourned its plenary session to Wednesday in honor of the late Deputy Majority Leader Adewunmi Onanuga.
Tinubu Signs North-Central Development Commission Bill into Law
Meanwhile, Tinubu has signed into law a bill establishing the North-Central Development Commission (NCDC), aimed at fostering grassroots development in the region.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio announced the assent during Tuesday’s Senate session, expressing optimism about the commission’s impact.
“Let me also inform my colleagues that Mr. President has assented to the North-Central Development Commission Establishment Bill 2024, to bring development to the grassroots,” Akpabio said.
“We congratulate the good people of the North-Central region of Nigeria and wish them more development and particularly peace as we forge ahead in the task of nation-building.”
