Tinubu Proposes Major Reforms to Drug Laws and Safety

President Bola Tinubu has initiated a comprehensive overhaul of Nigeria's drug enforcement and transport safety laws, as well as efforts to domesticate the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC). This was communicated through a series of executive communications read by Senate President Godswill Akpabio on October 13.

The proposed legislation includes the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau Amendment Bill, 2026, which aims to transform the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) into an independent multimodal safety investigation authority, expanding its mandate beyond aviation to include maritime and other transport incidents. Additionally, Tinubu has transmitted the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Bill, 2026, which seeks to repeal the existing NDLEA Act and the Indian Hemp Act, establishing a consolidated legal framework to address the cultivation, production, trafficking, and use of illicit drugs.

The bills have been referred for further legislative processing, while a separate suicide prevention bill has sparked debate among senators regarding the criminalization of attempted suicide.