• Akpabio tasks senators on legislative mandate
• ‘N’Assembly to prioritise electoral reforms, Constitution review, budget at resumption’

President Bola Tinubu has requested the Senate’s approval for a series of judicial reforms aimed at increasing the number of judges across key courts in Nigeria.
 
This was as the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, charged members of the 10th National Assembly to rise to the most decisive phase of their legislative mandate, urging urgency without panic, reform without recklessness, and productivity anchored on national interest.
 
As the 10th National Assembly resumes from the New Year recess for the remaining 16 months of its lifespan, the Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, said it would prioritise electoral reforms, Constitution review and the passage of the 2026 Appropriation Bill.
 
At the resumption of plenary yesterday, Akpabio read a letter from President Tinubu, in which he requested an amendment to the Court of Appeal Act to raise the number of justices from 70 to 110, citing the need to strengthen the court and address the growing volume of cases.
 
He also transmitted a bill seeking amendments to the Federal High Court Act to increase the number of judges from 70 to 90, up from the original provision of 50 judges.
 
Tinubu urged the Senate to give the bill expedited consideration. The proposed amendments were referred to the Senate Committee on Rules and Business for further legislative action.
 
In addition to the proposed increases, the President sought Senate confirmation of the appointment of Justice Oyewole Joseph Kayode as a Justice of the Supreme Court (JSC).
 
The Senate also received a Court of Appeal Amendment Bill proposing the establishment of an Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Centre to facilitate the settlement of appropriate cases outside the traditional court system. This bill was also referred to the Committee on Rules and Business.
 
Further, President Tinubu forwarded a separate communication requesting amendments to 24 health sector bills aimed at addressing issues related to over-bloated board memberships.

Also, the Senate received the transmission of 24 health sector bills from the President for legislative consideration, in line with Section 58(2) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
 
The bills were conveyed in a letter addressed to the Senate and read during plenary by Akpabio. Tinubu explained that the proposed legislation followed a comprehensive review of existing health sector laws conducted by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, in collaboration with the Minister of Health and Social Welfare, and subsequently approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC). 
 
The amendment bills transmitted to the Senate are those relating to the National Hospital for Women and Children; Federal Medical Centres; National Specialty Hospitals Management Board; Orthopaedic Hospitals Management Board; National Eye Centre; National Ear Care Centre; Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria; Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria; the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC); and the National Blood Service Agency, among others.
 
The President also listed additional legislative proposals, such as the Records Officers Registration and Digital Health Bill 2025 and the Federal College of Complementary and Alternative Medicine Bill 2025.

SPEAKING at the resumption of plenary yesterday, Akpabio noted that with less than one year and five months left in the present tenure, the 10th Senate “has entered the final lap of the marathon.”
 
He said the phase must be deliberately reform-driven, prioritising laws that unlock economic growth, strengthen institutions, secure lives and property, and restore confidence in the country.
 
Warning against legislative complacency, he said the Senate must resist the temptation of unfinished business and ensure that only laws truly needed by the country were passed.
 
According to him, history will not judge the Senate by the volume of bills passed, but by their impact on governance and citizens’ lives.
He emphasised the need for rigorous scrutiny of the national budget, responsible passage and faithful implementation, noting that sustained collaboration with the executive, grounded in constitutional responsibility and mutual respect, “remains crucial”.
 
Akpabio reminded senators of their core mandate, describing lawmakers as the ears of Nigerians to hear their cries, the eyes to see their realities, and the legislative voice to give form to their hopes.
 
According to him, the break offered lawmakers an opportunity to reconnect with their constituents and rediscover the human realities behind legislative work.

BAMIDELE, in a statement yesterday to outline the legislative agenda of the Assembly as it enters the final phase of its four-year tenure, noted that out of the 48 months constitutionally allotted to the 10th National Assembly, only 16 months remain, stressing the need for swift but well-considered legislative responses to Nigeria’s economic, political and governance challenges.
 
According to him, the Assembly has spent the last 32 months pursuing far-reaching reforms aimed at repositioning Nigeria from an extraction-dependent economy to a diversified and globally competitive one.
  
“As we resume plenary, we have resolved to consider and conclude legislative initiatives that directly touch our electoral regime and governance structure, while consolidating reforms already initiated to make public governance more efficient and people-centred,” he said.
 
He revealed that the Assembly would devote significant attention to the scrutiny and passage of the 2026 Appropriation Bill, valued at N58.47 trillion, which President Tinubu presented to a joint session of the National Assembly on December 18, 2025.
 
He described the proposed budget as critical to sustaining macro-economic stability, deepening global competitiveness and translating economic growth into job creation, higher incomes and improved quality of life for Nigerians.
 
The Senate Leader added that recent fiscal reforms, including the enactment of the 2025 Tax Reform Act, recalibrated Nigeria’s fiscal space by easing the tax burden on low-income earners, while placing greater responsibility on high-income earners, a move he said would help shrink budget deficits over time.