President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday sent a letter to the House of Representatives conveying his decision to withhold assent to three Bills passed by the National Assembly in December, 2017.
The Speaker, Mr Yakubu Dogara, quoted the President in a letter as saying his action was in Pursuant to Section 58 (4) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.
The bills are: Police Procurement Fund (Establishment) Bill, Chartered Institute of Public Management of Nigeria Bill, and Nigerian Council for Social Work (Establishment) Bill 2017.
“I hereby convey to the House of Representatives, my decision, on January 25, 2018 to decline Presidential Assent to three Bills recently passed by the National Assembly,’’ the letter read in part.
The President explained that there was no clarity with regards to the disbursement of the Police Procurement Fund, as it was in conflict with Sections 80, 82, 120 and 122 of the 1999 Constitution as amended.
The sections are on the powers of the National Assembly to appropriate funds allocated to the 36 States and 774 Local Governments.
On the Chartered Institute of Public Management of Nigeria Bill, the President also said it lacked clarity over the scope of the profession of “public management,’’ and non members it sought to prohibit from practicing.
Similarly, Buhari in withholding assent to the Nigerian Council for Social Work (Establishment) Bill 2017, said it lacked clarity on the scope of the profession of “Social Worker’’ and the non members of the Institute it sought to stop from practising.
