President Bola Tinubu has formally requested the Senate to initiate legislative action on two critical executive bills: one to repeal and re-enact the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), and another to amend the National Senior Secondary Education Commission Act.
In separate letters read by Senate President Godswill Akpabio during plenary, Tinubu underscored the urgency of modernizing Nigeria’s criminal justice framework and strengthening governance structures in public senior secondary education.
In the first communication, Tinubu sought the repeal of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015 and its replacement with a new Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2026.
He said the existing law had become inadequate to address emerging legal, procedural, and institutional challenges.
The president explained that the proposed legislation was designed to improve the administration of criminal justice in the Federal Capital Territory and other federal courts, while establishing a more effective Administration of Criminal Justice Monitoring Council to enhance implementation of the law.
He stated that the proposed Act would promote efficient management of criminal justice institutions, accelerate the dispensation of justice, strengthen the protection of society from crime, and safeguard the rights of suspects, defendants, and victims.
According to him, the bill also seeks to ensure that courts, law enforcement agencies, and all institutions involved in criminal justice administration comply fully with the provisions of the law.
Tinubu said the decision to repeal and re-enact the legislation followed the identification of persistent shortcomings in the current legal framework.
He listed the challenges to include delay in criminal investigations and prosecutions, inadequate deployment of technology in criminal proceedings, weak coordination among criminal justice institutions, poor case management systems, and ineffective monitoring of compliance with the Act.
The president stated that the proposed legislation had been reviewed by experienced law officers with expertise in criminal law, criminal procedure, and legislative drafting.
He added that the bill incorporated recent judicial pronouncements, technological innovations, and international best practices in criminal justice administration.
According to the president, the proposed law also strengthens the Administration of Criminal Justice Monitoring Council by providing additional measures to ensure effective implementation of the Act by relevant institutions.
Following the presentation of the communication, Senate referred the bill to its Committee on Rules and Business with a mandate to report back within four weeks.
In a separate communication, Tinubu transmitted the National Senior Secondary Education Commission Amendment Bill, 2026, to Senate for consideration.
He said the objective of the proposed amendment was to strengthen the administration and governance of public senior secondary education across the country.
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