Coalition Urges Tinubu to Sign Audit Service Bill

A coalition of civil society groups, led by the Central Social Justice (CSJ), has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the National Assembly to engage on the Federal Audit Service Bill, which has remained unsigned for months. The coalition noted that President Tinubu has neither assented to the bill nor publicly communicated reasons for withholding assent.

The bill aims to introduce an independent audit function, expand audit scope, strengthen enforcement powers, and align Nigeria's audit framework with international standards. Ez Onyekper, the CSJ President, urged the National Assembly to ascertain why the President withheld assent and to rectify any identified errors.

They suggested invoking Section 58(5) of the 1999 Constitution to override the President's veto with a two-thirds majority vote. The coalition highlighted that the existing audit ordinance from 1956 is outdated and that previous presidents, including Olusegun Obasanjo, Goodluck Jonathan, and Muhammadu Buhari, had also denied assent to similar bills without legislative pushback.

They urged the 10th National Assembly to break this pattern and provide leadership in audit reform.