President Bola Tinubu has withheld assent to the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) Establishment Bill, 2026.
The president communicated his decision in letter to Speaker of the House of Representatives, Abbas Tajudeen and read to members at plenary on Tuesday, citing drafting errors and structural inconsistencies in the bill.
Although he acknowledged that the bill had important reforms for the Commission, the president pointed out that it is flawed in key respects.
Specifically, he said the long title does not adequately capture both the repeal and re-enactment of the existing Act.
He also highlighted that in Section 4(2), “the Bill incorrectly referred to members of the Board under Section (4(1)(c) as part-time members to be appointed by the President. However, all the listed representatives of institutions in that provision are ex-officio members of the Board, who are members by virtue of their offices,” he said.
“Accordingly, section 4(2) reference to Section 4(1)(c) is erroneous as the requirements of being ‘appointed by the President’, ‘citizenship’ and ‘holding office on a part-time’ are inapplicable to the representatives of these institutions.”
He further pointed out that Section 4(1)(b) establishes four executive commission members but fails to specify the appointing authority and does not clearly define the required qualifications and professional experience, among several more errors.