The National Assembly is literally in the eye of the storm over its handling of the 2024 budget, in which collectively, the federal legislature will spend a princely N514 billion this year.

In line with the Federal Government’s plan to begin the fiscal year on January 1, the National Assembly on December 30, 2023 passed the budget presented by President Bola Tinubu, on November 29, 2023.

In passing the budget, the lawmakers raised the budget from N27.5 trillion to N28.78 trillion. They also jerked up the N197.93bn originally proposed by the Executive for the National Assembly N344.85 billion.

However, if other planned expenditures tied to the National Assembly, such as N100bn for zonal intervention projects and votes for the completion of ongoing projects were added, the legislature would be spending at least N514bn from the N28.78 trillion budget this year, according to Statisense.

With this, it means that by the end of 2024, Nigeria would have spent the sum of N3.132 trillion on the National Assembly, which has 109 senators and 360 House of Representatives members, going by budgetary allocations since 1999.

The N3.132 trillion trillion is 5.52 per cent of the N176.470 trillion appropriated by the Federal Government since Nigeria returned to civil rule in 1999, Vanguard’s check indicates.

Within the period, the National Assembly passed 816 bills that were signed into law by various presidents. Although the legislature, which is the symbol of democracy, performs other functions including oversight on the other arms of government, especially the executive arm, and passes motions and resolutions, lawmaking or passage of bills is, arguably, the primary duty of the lawmakers.

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Thus, if the N3.132 trillion allocated to the National Assembly since 1999 is accounted for by the number of bills that became laws, it means a bill costs N3.838 billion.

In the 4th National Assembly, 1999 -2003, the Senate passed 65 bills while the House of Representatives passed 112 bills but the lawmakers in both chambers had concurrence on 65.
Then, there was much leadership instability in the National Assembly on account of frosty relations with the executive arm among other issues.

There was a marked improvement in the 5th Assembly when 129 bills were passed. The figure plummeted to 72 bills in the 6th Assembly, rose to 128 in the 7th and all-time high of 282 bills in the 8th Assembly, and 134 bills in the 9th Assembly that expired at the weekend.

The 9th Assembly would have had more bills to its credit but for the refusal of President Buhari to assent and the inability of the legislators to override him.

Also, the 9th Senate, as of June 10, 2023, according to the immediate past Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, considered 1,129 bills and passed over 500. President Buhari assented to 131 bills.

“In the last few days, President Bola Tinubu has assented to two bills passed by the 9th National Assembly, namely the “Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (Fifth Alteration) (No.37) Bill, 2023”, which extends the retirement age of high court judges, and others, from 65 to 70 years. This was the first Bill to be signed by the President since taking the oath of office. Only yesterday, 9th June, 2023, he also assented to the Electricity Act 2023, which we had passed in July 2022. The new law replaces the Electricity and Power Sector Reform Act of 2005,” he said in his valedictory speech.

On June 12, President Tinubu signed the Student’s Loan (Access to Higher Education) Bill, 2019, into law. The bill was sponsored by Rep Femi Gbajabiamila.

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So, altogether, the 9th National Assembly had 134 bills signed into law.

10th NASS

So far, the Senate President Godswill Akpabio-led 10th National Assembly is said to have passed 6 bills including the 2023 Supplementary Budget Bill and the 2024 Budget.

However, the legislators’ handling of the 2024 budget elicited criticisms in the polity.
Budget has unbelievable allocations – LP

Describing some of the allegations as unbelievable, the Labour Party urged the President Tnubu-led All Progressives Congress APC administration to pay greater attention to the security and welfare of Nigerians in the New Year as opposed to its current fixation on the comfort of government officials.

In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Obiora Ifoh, the LP said: “As we bid the year 2023 farewell and usher in 2024, we in the Labour Party, pray that God intervenes and brings succor to us all as Nigerians have been exposed to uphold hardships because of maladministration and insensitive government in place.

“While we pray, we also enjoin Nigerians to take a closer look at budgetary provisions and sectoral allocations in the 2024 budget.

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“Without a doubt, the President Bola Tinubu-led All Progressives Congress administration has displayed a disdain for the security and welfare of Nigerians.

“Looking at the 2024 budget, we cannot fail to notice the undue attention given to the comfort of those in power to the detriment of the majority of Nigerians.

“Critical sectors of the economy such as Education and Health were allocated N1.27tr and N1.33tr representing 7.9 and 4.8 per cent of the entire budget respectively.

“This is in a budget which has items like N3bn for Senate Car Park, N1bn for Constitution Review, N78.62bn for the House of Representatives and N36.727bn for the National Assembly Office, N4bn for National Assembly Recreation Centre among other unbelievable allocations.

Source: Vanguard

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