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By Gloria Ikibah

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has forwarded two executive bills to the House of Representatives for consideration, including proposals to strengthen senior secondary education and reform Nigeria’s criminal justice system, while withholding assent to two amendment bills passed by the National Assembly over constitutional and legal concerns.

The President’s letters were read by Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, during plenary on Wednesday.

One of the proposed legislations, the National Senior Secondary Education Commission (Amendment) Bill, 2026, seeks to strengthen the administration and governance of public senior secondary education across the country.

In his communication to the House, President Tinubu said the bill was approved by the Federal Executive Council at its meeting of 30 April 2026 before undergoing legal vetting and final drafting by the Federal Ministry of Justice in line with constitutional and legislative drafting requirements.

The President said the amendment forms part of his administration’s broader commitment to strengthening Nigeria’s education sector and appealed to lawmakers to give it speedy consideration.

Tinubu also transmitted the Administration of Criminal Justice Bill, 2026, which seeks to repeal the existing Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), 2015 and replace it with a new legal framework designed to tackle longstanding procedural, legal and institutional weaknesses within the criminal justice system.

According to the President, the proposed legislation is intended to improve the administration of criminal justice institutions, accelerate the delivery of justice, strengthen public safety and better protect the rights of suspects, defendants and victims.

He explained that the bill will apply within the Federal Capital Territory and federal courts while also strengthening the Administration of Criminal Justice Monitoring Council.

The proposed legislation addresses several persistent challenges associated with the 2015 Act, including delays in criminal investigations and prosecutions, limited use of technology in criminal proceedings, weak coordination among justice sector institutions, ineffective case management and inadequate monitoring of compliance with the law.

Among its major reforms are the abolition of trial-within-trial proceedings for confessional statements through new admissibility procedures, the establishment of a National Sex Offenders Register to be maintained by the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation, the creation of a Witness Support Fund to facilitate prompt payment of witness expenses and the introduction of plea forms to simplify arraignment procedures.

The bill also proposes mandatory timelines for courts to determine no-case submissions, wider use of written witness depositions to speed up criminal trials, improved judicial case management, a restructured Administration of Criminal Justice Monitoring Council with broader stakeholder representation, the appointment of an Executive Secretary for the council, powers for the Attorney-General to issue implementation regulations and measures aimed at preventing repeated trials arising from the death, retirement or transfer of judges.

President Tinubu urged lawmakers to give the bill expeditious consideration.

Meanwhile, the President declined assent to the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply Management of Nigeria (Amendment) Bill, 2026, citing constitutional and legal objections to several of its provisions.

While acknowledging that many of the proposed amendments were well-intentioned, Tinubu argued that certain clauses seek to confer regulatory powers on the institute beyond those provided by law.

According to him, provisions requiring organisations to report procurement appointments to the institute, imposing financial penalties on employers who appoint non-members to head procurement units, compelling organisations to notify the institute whenever procurement staff are removed, empowering the institute to initiate legal proceedings against non-members and authorising inspection visits to private organisations amount to unreasonable restrictions and exceed the institute’s statutory mandate.

The President maintained that the institute is not the statutory regulator of procurement practice in Nigeria and therefore lacks the authority to compel independent organisations to comply with such provisions.

He advised the National Assembly to address the identified concerns before returning the bill for presidential assent.

Tinubu also withheld assent to the Raw Materials Research and Development Council (Amendment) Bill, 2026, citing structural deficiencies and drafting errors.

According to the President, the bill failed to properly capture its principal objectives in its long title and contained drafting defects that must be corrected before it can receive presidential approval.

The House is expected to begin legislative consideration of the two executive bills in the coming days, while lawmakers are also expected to review the rejected amendment bills in line with the President’s observations before deciding on the next legislative step.

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The President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio has said that the City Boy Movement is posied to ensure maximum victory for the re-election of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 2027.

Addressing a delegation of the City Boy Movement during a courtesy visit to his office on Wednesday, Akpabio commended the commitment and patriotism exhibited by the group whose primary mission is to ensure Tinubu is back in office for a second tenure as President in 2027.

Akpabio remarked that “The City Boy Movement is like a wind blowing across the nation. You may not see it but you can feel it. Every political party in Nigeria is already feeling the impact of the City Boy Movement.

“Never again shall we have a situation in any polling unit in Nigeria where Mr President will not have an agent because we have the City Boy Movement.

“In the last election, if your Movement had existed, many of our votes that were not counted in many polling units would have been counted.

“I want you to have it in mind that you have come up at the right time and l do know that you are all poised to ensure maximum victory come 2027.

“Know that while you are doing all these and you are going round the country mobilising, sensitising the populace, the voters, educating them, other political parties are sleeping. They are not doing the same.

“But when the victory of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will be announced, you will hear people saying it is rigged. That they did this, they did that. Ignore all those things and remain focused.

“This is now your turn to shape your future. This is your turn to take the lead on how Nigeria should go. I know that as you campaign for the President, you are also learning and acquiring knowledge on how to mobilise and campaign for yourselves in future.

“So what l will say is that, we are with you. The Senate of the the Federal Republic of Nigeria is pleased with the youths of this country who have decided to tow the right path.

“We are mindful of the fact that some youths, as a result of cultism and drug abuse, have fallen aside and are misguided. We are mindful of that.

“But when they say “build the youths,” because they are the future of the nation, l also want to urge “maintain the elders,” because they are the people today that God has given wisdom to.”

Quoting from a Philosopher, Akpabio who is also the Grand Patron of the Movement offered some advice to members of the group and to the Nigerian youths in general: “It is not a tragedy when a nonentity whimpers through life and ends up a failure in the grave. But it is a tragedy when a potentially achieving young man or woman, out of a flaw in his or her character becomes a failure and ends up in the grave.

“Where you are now, you are privileged to work for the future of your country. You are privileged to tow the right path that has nothing to do with cultism or terrorism.

“You are privileged to chart the path of the next administration. You are also privileged to belong to the incoming government of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 2027. It will be a tragedy for any of you to derail. We assure you that here we are 100 percent with you.”

Earlier, the Director-General of the City Boy Movement, Francis Shoga said the visit was an opportunity to strengthen collaboration between lawmakers and the Movement.

“We seek your continued guidance and support as we expand our programmes across the country, deepen civic engagement among the young Nigerians and contribute meaningfully to national development,” Francis said.

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Former Principal Secretary to the Delta State Government, Dr Hilary Obioma Ibegbulem, has paid glowing tribute to former governor of Delta State and All Progressives Congress, APC, senatorial candidate for Delta North, Senator Ifeanyi Arthur Okowa, describing him as an exceptional leader, statesman and patriot.

In a birthday felicitation message to Okowa, Ibegbulem said the former governor’s public life had been defined by selfless service, purposeful leadership and unwavering commitment to the progress of Delta State and Nigeria.

The message, was one of the standout tributes to Okowa, who remains a dominant figure in Delta politics and the APC’s standard-bearer for Delta North ahead of 2027.

Ibegbulem, a long-standing political associate of the former governor, traced Okowa’s political and public service journey from his early days as Secretary to the Ika Local Government Council to his emergence as pioneer Chairman of Ika North-East Local Government Council.

He said those early responsibilities laid a strong foundation for what later became Okowa’s well-known grassroots political structure and administrative reach across Delta State.

According to him, Okowa’s subsequent appointments as Commissioner for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Commissioner for Water Resources Development, and Commissioner for Health further demonstrated his administrative capacity and commitment to improving the lives of the people.

Ibegbulem also celebrated Okowa’s service as Secretary to the Delta State Government, Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and later as two-term Governor of Delta State, saying his record reflected consistency, sacrifice and vision.

“Your remarkable journey in public service is a testament to dedication, integrity and excellence,” Ibegbulem said.

He stressed that from “every early service as Secretary to the defunct Ika Local Government Council” to Okowa’s service as governor, the former governor had continued to inspire confidence among supporters, admirers and the younger generation of leaders.

Ibegbulem said that as the APC Delta North senatorial candidate, Okowa had continued to exemplify courageous leadership, humility and commitment to the ideals of progressive governance.

He prayed for renewed strength, divine protection and greater wisdom for the former governor, expressing confidence that his future endeavours would bring further accomplishments and service to Delta State and Nigeria.

“May this new chapter of your life usher in greater accomplishments, enduring fulfilment and resounding victories in all your future endeavours,” he said.

He concluded by congratulating Okowa on what he described as a special milestone, praying that God would continue to preserve and elevate him as a fountain of hope, leadership and service to the nation.