President Bola Tinubu has transmitted two bills seeking to strengthen Nigeria’s drug law enforcement framework and expand the investigative powers of the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) to the Senate for consideration.

The bills are the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) Bill 2026 and the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau Amendment Bill 2026.

Tinubu forwarded the proposed legislations in separate letters to Senate President Godswill Akpabio in line with Section 58(2) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.

The NDLEA Bill seeks to repeal the existing NDLEA Act and the Indian Hemp Act, replacing them with a consolidated legal framework for tackling drug-related offences.

According to the President, the proposed legislation would strengthen enforcement against the cultivation, processing, sale, trafficking and use of illicit drugs while empowering the agency to investigate suspected drug-related activities.

Following its presentation, Akpabio referred the proposed legislation to the Senate Committee on Rules and Business for further legislative action.

In a separate letter, the President transmitted the NSIB Amendment Bill 2026, which seeks to amend the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (Establishment) Act No. 35 of 2022.

The proposed amendment seeks to strengthen the bureau’s independence and expand its investigative mandate beyond aviation accidents to cover rail, maritime and other transportation-related incidents.

It also proposes transferring supervisory oversight of the bureau to the Presidency while strengthening its institutional, operational and administrative powers.

The proposed expansion comes amid renewed attention to aviation safety following the October 5 crash involving a Nigerian Air Force ATR-42 aircraft near Igbokoda, Ondo State.

The Senate has called for a comprehensive investigation into the crash and an audit of military aircraft serviceability and maintenance funding.

Tinubu also urged lawmakers to expedite consideration of the NSIB amendment bill, which Akpabio subsequently referred to the Senate Committee on Rules and Business.

The two bills will now undergo further legislative scrutiny, with the proposed NDLEA legislation seeking to consolidate drug enforcement laws and the NSIB amendment aiming to strengthen independent safety investigations across Nigeria’s transportation sector.