By Our Correspondent
By the end of 2023, Nigeria would have spent the sum of N2.618 trillion on the National Assembly, which has 109 senators and 360 House of Representatives members, going by budgetary allocations since 1999.
The N2.618 trillion is 5.56 per cent of the N145.516 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 810 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.
Thus, if the N2.618 trillion allocated to the National Assembly since 1999 is accounted for by the number of bills that became laws, it means a bill costs N3.232 billion.
Taken further, it means the country has lost an equivalent of N1.312 trillion and the humongous man-hours the lawmakers put into panel-beating the 406 bills that President Muhammadu Buhari refused assent since 2015, which the legislators could not use two-third majority to override as constitutionally provided.
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 (see table). 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.
Indeed, the 9th House of Representatives processed 2,232 bills and passed 510 bills and 2000 motions.
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.
So, altogether, the 9th National Assembly had 134 bills signed into law.
With the election of Senator Godswill Akpabio, who polled 63 votes to beat Abdulaziz Yari, who got 46 votes, as Senate President, and Rep Tajudeen Abass as Speaker, the 10th National Assembly, which was inaugurated, yesterday, will kick-off with a war-chest of N228.1bn earmarked for its activities in the 2023 budget.
Following the inauguration of both chambers of the National Assembly, the legislators have an avalanche of issues before them. They may have to re-introduce some of the 406 bills that were not signed into law and see the bills through.
They must help the country wriggle out of the cesspool of insecurity, economic downturn, and ethnic divisions among others.
Budgetary Allocations to
NASS since 1999
Year FG Budget(N) NASS
1999 524bn 2.204bn
2000 702bn 9.458bn
2001 894.2bn 15.488bn
2002 1.064 trn 28.162bn
2003 1.446trn 23.347bn
2004 1.189trn 34.727bn
2005 1.8trn 55.433bn
2006 1.9trn 45.obn
2007 2.3trn 60.0bn
2008 3.58trn 73.741bn
2009 3.76trn 123.192bn
2010 5.160trn 154.205bn
2011 4.972trn 150.0bn
2012 4.877trn 150.0bn
2013 4.987trn 150.0bn
2014 4.962trn 150.0bn
2015 5.068trn 227.0bn
2016 6.061trn 115.0bn
2017 7.444trn 125.0bn
2018 9.12trn 139.5bn
2019 8.916trn 148.680bn
2020 10.27trn 128bn
2021 14.57trn 128bn
2022 18.12trn 134bn
2023 21.83trn 228.1bn
Total 145.516trn 2.618 trn
Bills passed since 1999
Assembly Bills passed
4th NASS (1999-2003) 65
5th NASS (2003-2007) 129
6th NASS (2007-2011) 72
7th NASS (2011-2015) 128
8th NASS (2015-2019) 282
9th NASS (2019 – 2023) 134
Total 810
