Tinubu seeks Reps’ approval of bill seeking to strengthen secondary school education

…transmits bill on establishment of Sex Offenders register in Attorney General’s office

The House of Representatives on Wednesday received President Bola Tinubu’s bill seeking to strengthen the administration and governance of public senior secondary education in Nigeria.

Speaker Abbas Tajudeen, who confirmed this during the plenary, explained that the proposed National Senior Secondary Education Commission Amendment Bill, 2026, was approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) at its sitting on Thursday, 30th April, 2026.

The President, in the letter, explained that the “Federal Ministry of Justice subsequently vetted and finalised the bill in line with the drafted standards and constitutional provisions. In consequence of the above and the desire for this administration to strengthen the education institutions in the national interest, the National Senior Secondary Education Commission Amendment Bill, 2026 is forwarded for legislative action by the National Assembly.”

“To this end, President Tinubu solicited for accelerated consideration and passage of the bill.

“In the same vein, Mr. President solicited for the passage a bill seeking to repeal the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015 and enact the Administration of Criminal Act, 2026.”

According to the Speaker, the general objective of the bill is to provide for the Administration of Criminal Justice in the course of the Federal Capital Territory and other federal causes in Nigeria and the establishment of the Administration of Criminal Justice Monitoring Council for effective and efficient administration of criminal justice in Nigeria.

The specific objectives of the bill, as indicated in Section 1, seek to ensure that the system of administration of criminal justice in Nigeria promotes efficient management of criminal justice institutions, speedy dispensation of justice, protection of the society from crime, and protection of the rights and interests of the suspect, the defendant, and the victim, and the courts, law enforcement agencies, and other authorities or persons involved in criminal justice administration comply with the provisions of the Act.

The reasons for the repeal of the Act of the Assent Act and the enactment of the proposed Act of 2026 is to address certain legal, procedural, and institutional challenges that have been identified as hampering the effective administration of criminal justice in Nigeria under the Act of 2015.

The challenges include delays in criminal investigations and prosecutions; inadequate deployment of technology in criminal proceedings; insufficient coordination among criminal justice institutions; ineffective case management mechanisms; and limitations in the monitoring and evaluation of compliance with the provisions of the Act.

According to him, the bill, as reviewed by a team of law officers with extensive experience in criminal law, criminal procedure, and legislative drafting, has extensively addressed the above challenges.

The bill also reflected developments in criminal justice administration, judicial pronouncements, technological innovations, and international-based practices relating to criminal justice reform.

It has also strengthened the administration of Criminal Justice Monitoring Council and provides additional measures aimed at ensuring effective implementation of the Act by the relevant institutions.

Other key reforms introduced by this Act are: introducing reforms to the admissibility of confessional statements by requiring the prosecution to establish voluntariness, permitting provisional admission of confessional statements pending defense, requiring objection to admissibility to determine a judgment, and abolishing the conduct of trial within trial proceedings.

It also seeks to establish a sex offenders register to be domiciled in the office of the Attorney General of the Federation, providing for the registration and publication of particulars of convicted sex offenders, and creating a framework for periodic transmission of information by prosecuting and law enforcement agencies.

Section 257, subsection 2, establishes a witness support fund and provides a sustainable mechanism for the prompt payment of witness expenses in criminal proceedings by the Attorney General of the Federation and other prosecuting agencies.

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The proposed reforms also seek to introduce a plea form procedure to facilitate arraignment and enable defendants to formally record and adopt their pleas in criminal proceedings, thereby promoting efficiency and reducing delays.

It further seeks to empower courts to determine non-case submissions within 21 days from the close of the prosecution’s case to expedite criminal proceedings.

The reform also includes mandating the filing and service of a plea form and a prescribed form containing information on legal representation as part of criminal process documentation; empowering courts where necessary for the purpose of expediting proceedings to direct parties to file written depositions of witnesses; providing the objections raised after a plea may be considered together with substantive issues in the case and determined at the time of delivery of judgment thereby minimizing interlocutory interruptions during trial, as well as strengthening judicial case management by promoting the presentation of evidence as shortly and clearly and encouraging the use of witness depositions irrespective of matters that are not in quotation.

Others include restructuring and strengthening the administration of Criminal Justice Monitoring Council through the establishment of a governing board comprising key stakeholders within the criminal justice sector including representations of the judiciary, law enforcement agencies, prosecuting authorities, correctional institutions, the Nigerian Bar Association and civil society organizations; providing for the appointment of an executive secretary of the administration of Criminal Justice Monitoring Council by the president on the recommendation of the attorney general of the federation; empowering the Attorney General of the Federation to make regulations for the effective implementation of the acts and for carrying into effect the objectives of the legislation.

It further seeks to introduce modern statutory concepts and definitions, including case management and plea form to strengthen procedural efficiency and enhance the administration of criminal justice; making consequential, transitional, and miscellaneous provisions necessary for the effective implementation of the act and the realisation of its objectives and elimination of double trials by addressing issues arising from death, retirement, or transfer of judges.

To this end, the President solicited expeditious consideration and passage of the bill.