After over three weeks of holiday, the members of the House of Representatives on Tuesday held their first plenary session of the year.
The session was symbolic, marking the beginning of legislative activities for the year.
Following Tuesday’s session, the lawmakers adjourned for another two weeks to allow committees to conclude their work on the 2025 budget.
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Even during the plenary session, the presiding officer, Deputy Speaker Ben Kalu, had to appeal to lawmakers to remain in the chamber as many preferred to attend budget defence sessions in their respective committees.
Towards the end of the session, about 22 lawmakers were present in the chamber, far below the 121-member quorum prescribed by the Constitution.
Although sitting without a quorum is a recurring issue, the budgetary season further exacerbated the situation.
Another Rep dies
On Wednesday, the death of Oriyomi Onanuga, the deputy chief whip of the House, was announced, adding to the list of deceased members of the lower chamber.
Other lawmakers of the current House who have passed away are Ekene Adams, Olajide Akinremi, and Isa Dangoyaro.
Mrs Onanuga was reported to have died after a brief illness.
Concerns have been raised over the rate of deaths among lawmakers.
In the last Assembly, Mr Kalu, then the House’s spokesperson, attributed the high death rate to pressure from constituents.
He had told journalists that many lawmakers are overwhelmed by demands from their constituents.
As Deputy Chief Whip, Mrs Onanuga was known for listing her numerous chieftaincy titles when introducing herself during plenary.
“My name is Otunba, Yeye Oge, High Chief, Honourable… Oriyomi Onanuga,” she would typically say before adding her nickname, “Ijaya.”
Budget Defence—balancing speed and due diligence
The defence of budget proposals by ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) was in full swing last week.
The National Assembly plans to pass the budget before 30 January.
Heads of MDAs were juggling appearances before different committees of the House and Senate.
In some instances, House committees held joint sessions with their Senate counterparts to expedite the process.
However, concerns have been raised that lawmakers may sacrifice due diligence for speed.
The budget is expected to be passed before the lawmakers reconvene on 28 January.
Budget Defence: “We need more money”—The usual cry.
Most agencies appearing before various committees to defend their allocations in the 2025 budget have echoed the same refrain: “We need more money; our allocation is too meagre.”
During budget defence sessions, the agencies decried their allocations and lobbied lawmakers for more money
From the Ministry of Defence to the Ministry of Solid Minerals, the demand for more funds was incessant.
Last week, the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, even promised that with adequate funding, they could clear bandits as soon as possible.
These calls for increased allocations come even though the national budget already stands at N49.7 trillion.
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