*Seeks passage of National Senior Secondary Education Commission Amendment Bill
WorldStage— President Bola Tinubu has urged the Senate to repeal the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015 and enact the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2026.
Tinubu’s request is contained in a letter addressed to President of Senate and read at plenary on Thursday.
Tinubu said the bill was designed to provide for the administration of criminal justice in the courts of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and other federal courts in Nigeria.
According to him, the bill also seeks to establish Administration of Criminal Justice Monitoring Council for effective and efficient administration of criminal justice in Nigeria.
“The specific objective of the bill, as indicated in section 1, is to ensure that the system of administration of criminal justice in Nigeria promotes efficient management of criminal justice institutions,” he said.
The president also said that the bill sought to ensure speedy dispensation of justice, protection of the society from crime and protection of the rights and interests of the defendants and the victims, the courts, the law enforcement agencies and authorities.
“The bill is also to ensure that the system of administration of criminal justice act 2015 and other authorities or persons involved in criminal justice administration comply with the provisions of the acts,” he said.
He attributed the request for the repeal of the extant acts and re-enactment of proposed 2026 act to the need for addressing certain legal procedure and institutional challenges identified in effective administration of criminal justice in Nigeria under the extant act.
The president listed the challenges to include: delays in criminal investigations and prosecution, inadequate deployment of technology in criminal proceedings, inefficient coordination among criminal justice institutions and ineffective case management mechanisms.
Another challenge, according to the president, is the limitations in the monitoring and evaluation of compliance with the provisions of the acts.
He said that the bill had been reviewed by a team of law officers with extensive experience in criminal law, criminal procedure and legislative drafting.
According to him, the legislation extensively addresses the above challenges and also reflects developments in criminal justice administration, judicial pronouncements, technological innovations and international best practices.
The president also said that the bill strengthened the administration of criminal justice monitoring council and provided additional measures aimed at effective implementation of the acts by relevant institutions.
He expressed the hope that the senate would give the bill expeditious consideration.
Akpabio, thereafter, referred the bill to the Senate Committee on Rules and Business for further legislative inputs, and to report back within four weeks.
National Senior Secondary Education Commission Amendment Bill
In a similar development, President Tinubu has urged the Senate to pass the National Senior Secondary Education Commission Amendment Bill 2026.
Tinubu’s request is contained in a letter addressed to the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, and read at plenary on Thursday.
“I am pleased to transmit to the senate for consideration, the national senior secondary education commission amendment bill,” Tinubu said in the letter.
He said that the purpose of the bill was to strengthen the administration and governance of public senior secondary education in Nigeria.
The president recalled that the amendment to the bill was approved by the Federal Executive Council at its sitting on April 30.
“The Federal Ministry of Justice subsequently gazetted and finalised the bill in line with drafting standards and constitutional provisions,” he stated.
Tinubu further stated that the request followed the desire of the administration to strengthen the educational institutions in the national interest.
He expressed hope that the senate would consider the bill and grant it expeditious passage.
The senate president, thereafter, referred the bill to the Committee on Rules and Business for further legislative inputs.
The committee was mandated to report back to plenary within the next one week.
