Senate Orders Fresh Review of Chartered Institute of Training Bill

The Senate has suspended consideration of the Chartered Institute of Training and Development of Nigeria (Establishment) Bill, 2026, following concerns raised by lawmakers over its relevance and possible duplication of existing institutions.

The proposed legislation seeks to establish a professional body responsible for regulating and certifying training and development practitioners across the country.

However, during deliberations on the bill, several senators questioned its necessity and scope, arguing that it may overlap with the functions of already existing training and management development institutions.

Leading the opposition to the bill, Senator Abdul Ningi cautioned against approving the legislation simply because it originated from the House of Representatives.

According to him, the bill lacks sufficient merit to justify its passage.

“We can’t be emotional because it’s coming from a sister chamber and pass it. The bill doesn’t have the required merit to go through,” Ningi said.

Also contributing to the debate, Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele proposed the establishment of a sub-committee to review the bill and ensure it complies with the Senate’s legislative procedures, particularly Order 78 of the Senate Rules.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio supported calls for a more thorough examination of the proposal, noting that not every bill transmitted from the House of Representatives should automatically receive Senate approval.

He described the bill as lacking clarity and warned that passing such legislation without proper scrutiny could create challenges during the executive approval process.

Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin also backed the decision to suspend consideration of the bill, stating that its objectives were not clearly defined and required further explanation.

“What we can do is to stand down the bill because we need explanation. If you look at what this bill seeks to do, a Chartered Institute of Training and Development, it is quite vague,” Barau said.

Despite the criticisms, Senate Minority Leader Abba Moro defended the proposal, arguing that the provisions of the bill were clear and should not be dismissed as ambiguous.

Following the debate, the Senate President announced the constitution of a sub-committee headed by Senator Abdul Ningi to review the legislation and ensure proper scrutiny of bills transmitted from the House of Representatives.

The bill was subsequently stepped down pending the outcome of the committee’s review and further clarification of its objectives.