The Senate has approved amendments to key national legislation covering pension administration, health governance, and federal teaching hospital oversight, while simultaneously confirming a nominee for a strategic financial oversight body, advancing a packed legislative agenda centred on institutional reform and improved public service delivery.
The upper chamber also confirmed the nomination of Obehi Aire Okafor for appointment as Co-Chairman of the Governing Council of the Unclaimed Funds Trust Fund, a strategic body overseeing dormant financial assets held across Nigeria’s financial system.
Senator Mohammed Sani Musa moved that the Senate receive and consider the report of the Committee on Finance on the confirmation of Okafor’s nomination. The Senate subsequently approved the recommendation, clearing the nominee for the role.
In a further legislative action, the Senate considered and adopted the report of the Committee on Establishment and Public Service Matters on the National Assembly Service Pension Board Establishment Act Amendment Bill of 2026. Senator Cyril Oluwole Fasuyi led the presentation, moving for the chamber to receive and consider the report. Lawmakers approved the proposed amendments aimed at strengthening governance and administrative efficiency within the National Assembly’s pension framework.
The Senate also considered the report of the Committee on Health on the National Health Act Amendment Bill of 2026. Senator Banigo Palibe Harry presented the report, and the Senate approved the recommendations, paving the way for reforms intended to improve the structure, coordination, and quality of secondary and tertiary healthcare services across the country.
In a related development, the chamber adopted a joint report of the Committees on Health and Tertiary Institutions and TETFund on the University Teaching Hospitals Reconstitution of Boards Act Amendment Bill of 2026. The joint report sought to restructure governance frameworks of federal university teaching hospitals, with particular emphasis on board reconstitution, improved regulatory oversight, and enhanced institutional accountability and performance.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio presided over the plenary, which witnessed smooth deliberations and broad consensus on all committee recommendations. The amendments and confirmations were described as part of ongoing legislative efforts to reposition key national institutions for improved efficiency and service delivery across healthcare, pension administration, and public financial management.
