President Bola Ahmed Tinubu

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has rejected the National Assembly Library Trust Fund (Establishment) Amendment Bill, 2025, citing inconsistencies with federal laws, funding principles, and civil service regulations.

In a letter addressed to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and read on the floor during Tuesday’s plenary, the president acknowledged the bill’s objectives but raised concerns about several key provisions that, he said, conflict with established policies.

“Notwithstanding the laudable objectives of the legislation, certain provisions contained therein go against settled law and policies of the Federal Government of Nigeria,” Tinubu wrote.

The president specifically pointed to contentious clauses regarding funding mechanisms for legislative agencies, the taxation of national entities, and provisions related to public service remuneration, age, and tenure. According to him, signing the bill in its current form would not only conflict with existing governance frameworks but also set “an unsustainable precedent against the public interest”.

“If this bill becomes law, these provisions will establish an unsustainable precedent,” the letter stated.

President Tinubu formally withheld assent and urged the lawmakers to revisit the proposed amendments with a view to aligning them with extant laws and national policy objectives.

“I hope that the House of Representatives will take necessary steps to fix the identified issues with the legislation,” he concluded.

The bill was designed to enhance the legislative research capacity of the National Assembly through a structured trust fund for its library system. However, with the president’s objections now on record, its future depends on whether lawmakers will revise and resubmit it or seek an override of the presidential veto.