President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has transmitted the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) 2026 statutory budget proposal and two bills to the House of Representatives for consideration and legislative action.
The President’s requests were contained in three separate letters addressed to the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, and the House received them on September 24.In one letter dated August 20, Tinubu forwarded the NDDC’s 2026 Statutory Budget Proposal for the House’s consideration and passage.
He said the budget proposal was prepared based on the commission’s revenue and expenditure forecasts and aligned with the Federal Government’s fiscal and developmental policies and the Renewed Hope Agenda.
The President said the proposal also considered the 2024-2026 Economic Recovery Growth Plan and the key assumptions of the Federal Government’s 2026 Appropriation Act.
According to him, the NDDC is prioritising youth empowerment, energy and power supply, education, industrial and enterprise development, health, security and increased agricultural productivity, with the aim of lifting a significant number of citizens out of poverty.
Tinubu expressed hope that the House would consider and pass the 2026 NDDC statutory budget promptly.
In another letter, dated August 24, the President transmitted the National Postgraduate Medical College (Amendment) Bill, 2026, to the House for consideration and passage into law.
He said the proposed legislation would, among other things, reflect the change in the institutional name and expand the college’s mandate to include awarding Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degrees in Clinical Medicine, Dentistry and related fields.
Tinubu said the Federal Ministry of Justice had vetted and finalised the bill in line with drafting standards and constitutional provisions.
The third letter, also dated August 24, concerned the National Research Development Fund (Establishment) Bill, 2026.
The President said the bill was designed to consolidate research financing and improve resource utilisation by bringing fragmented research and development funds across Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) into a National Research Development Fund.
He said the fund would serve as a central mechanism for research agencies and academic institutions to access funding.
According to Tinubu, the proposed fund would operate as a competitive central funding mechanism aimed at fostering collaboration among research agencies, academia and the private sector.
He said it would also support innovation, streamline resource allocation according to national priorities, promote transparency in funding decisions and drive the commercialisation of locally developed technology to reduce dependence on foreign technology.
The President said the bill would establish the National Research Development Fund as an agency under the Federal Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology, with direct funding from the Nigeria Content Development Fund (NCDF).
He said the proposed legislation was necessary because research institutes and agencies operate in the research, development and commercialisation space, each with separate mandates and budgetary allocations.
Tinubu said the bill sought to promote effective management of the limited financial resources available to research institutes and agencies for developing science, technology and innovation in Nigeria.
He added that relevant stakeholders, including the Ministries of Education, Innovation, Science and Technology, and Justice, had reviewed and vetted the bill to ensure alignment with national education objectives, scientific innovation priorities, and existing legal and institutional frameworks.
The President urged the House to consider both bills and pass them into law.
