President Muhammadu Buhari has declined assent to a bill seeking to fund the completion of Ajaokuta steel company, which was forwarded to him by the National Assembly in February this year.
The president equally declined assent to seven other bills, including the controversial National housing fund bill, which was passed recently by the federal parliament.
The president of the senate, Bukola Saraki, disclosed this while reading at plenary separate letters by the president informing the senate of his decisions.
Buhari, according to the letters, cited several grounds, ranging from infractions on extant laws, duplication of responsibilities of existing agencies, to financial constraints for refusing assent to the bills.
Giving reasons for rejecting the Ajaokuta completion fund bill, the president said voting $1BN to the steel rolling mill from the excess crude account, as proposed by the bill, was not the best strategic option for Nigeria at this time of budgetary constraints.
Other bills rejected by the president included the Nigerian aeronautical search and rescue bill 2018; the chartered institute of training and development of Nigeria (establishment) bill 2018; and the federal mortgage bank of Nigeria bill 2018.
He also declined assent to the national housing fund bill 2018; the national institute of credit administration bill 2018; and the national bio-technology development agency bill 2018.
