Tinubu Seeks Senate Approval to Replace ASCON with National School of Government

President Bola Tinubu has asked the Senate to consider a bill seeking to repeal the Administrative Staff College of Nigeria (ASCON) Act and establish the National School of Government, Nigeria.

The request was conveyed in a letter transmitting the National School of Government Bill 2026 to the Senate for consideration. Senate President Godswill Akpabio read the letter during plenary on Wednesday.

In the letter, Tinubu urged lawmakers to give the proposed legislation expeditious consideration, saying the new institution would focus on leadership development, policy delivery and executive capacity building.

The President said the bill was submitted pursuant to Section 58(2) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended.

The proposed legislation seeks to repeal the Administrative Staff College of Nigeria Act, A-4, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004, and replace it with a new legal framework establishing the National School of Government.

If passed into law, the institution would serve as a national centre for developing leadership skills, strengthening public officials’ capacity and improving the implementation of government policies.

The proposed school is intended to provide a dedicated institutional framework for building the competencies required by public officials to translate government decisions into effective programmes and services.

ASCON has traditionally provided management training and strengthened administrative capacity in Nigeria’s public and private sectors. The proposed change would replace its existing legal framework with one focused on governance, leadership and policy implementation.

The bill will undergo legislative consideration before the Senate decides on its passage. Its proposed provisions are not yet law.

The initiative forms part of the Federal Government’s effort to strengthen public sector institutions and improve the capacity of government officials to deliver policies and programmes effectively.