•Threatens mandatory 181 sittings

• Pressure on finance minister fails

The two chambers of the National Assembly may not meet the mandatory constitutional requirement of 181 sittings yearly because of reduction in number of sitting days to once a week.

Section 63 of the Constitution provides that the Senate and House of Representatives shall each sit for not less than 181 days in a year. And section 68 thereof states that any legislator who fails to attend the proceedings of the House or Senate for less than one third of the required number of days shall automatically lose his or her seat.

Due to COVID-19 pandemic, the House of Representatives has been sitting once a week as opposed to the usual three times per week. The Senate has been struggling to hold plenary session twice, and in some cases once, per week.

It was learnt that insufficient funds to carry out legislative works caused the inability to have three sittings in a week.

Apart from the legislative business of the National Assembly which is being adversely affected, there is also the problem of delay in payment of allowances and other entitlements of the lawmakers allegedly caused by non-release of funds by the Ministry of Finance as when due.

The Guardian gathered that concerted efforts to persuade the Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed, to release some funds failed.

A lawmaker, who spoke in confidence, revealed that the First Line Charge budgetary provision for the National Assembly has not been met for a long time since this administration came in.

“Also, informal methods of raising fund from federal agencies to support parliamentary needs are no longer as effective as they were,” he added.

It was learnt that following the failure of some committees to get the minister to act, the entire leadership of the National Assembly invited her for questioning.

At the meeting, questions were put to Ahmed on why the constituency projects accommodated in the 2020 budget have not been implemented satisfactorily.

The National Assembly had, in December, 2020, extended the capital component of that year’s budget to March 31, 2021 to give the executive enough time to implement it.

Most painful to the lawmakers, some of whom, have resorted to quiet protest against the National Assembly leadership, is the non-implementation of the zonal intervention programmes, popularly called constituency projects.

Another lawmaker said that visiting constituencies or Senatorial Districts had become a nightmare for legislators because of the unrelenting pressure from their constituents.

https://m.guardian.ng/news/cash-crunch-reduces-national-assemblys-sittings-to-once-a-week/

The nation is sliding gradually into penury

thieves

They've looted everything

What was their achievement when they sat 365 days a year?

Hmmm

Damnnn niggarrrr
Isoright

It's a good thing if the NASS is made a part-time job since there are no funds for them to perform their jobs

They should all be in their states to mix with the people they represent than staying ion Abuja and be representing your people from there thereby being disconnected from your constituency

It's no different than a governor performing his duties from Abuja

What value have they even added to Nigerian democracy?

A NASS that is always waiting for the president to tell them what to do

So because no money them no wan sit again.

Useless government.

Quoting the true words of Our online role models.
Dem .
The people who always say the truth no matter whose ox is gored,
and no matter who jumped up and faint when they read their truth...........

This country is a complete shithole.

So instead of reducing the sitting allowance by half, they will rather sit once a week?

Yet, these clowns will be talking about selfless service.

[s]

ILoveDemMANNA:
That is better

[/s]

So they can't work for free?

The most useless arm of government!

Doing nothing other than baking more national cake for theirs to consume even before it leaves the oven.

Even their President at the senate prefers to be a sparogative rubber stamp than be something useful and reasonable to his family or the nation.

They are supposed to serve as a check to the excesses of the Executive
...but Invite just the President to the House when he is underperforming, they can't, even when they prostrate and say

..."Please Sir, Sorry Sir! we would like to ask you a few questions in the house".

Bunch of unprogressive, inefficient Lot!

But cash crush doesn't stop taxation of citizens


Even the taxing goes higher

Since they have been sitting thrice per week has our economy wriggled out of the storm of inflation and bad governance?

Who cares if they sit or stand. I just hope their sitting allowances will be drastically curtailed too.

And come to think of it, if we can totally halt those allowances rather channel it into stabilizing our power supply nationwide then those Legislooters should work from home for all I care.

Lie lie news

The previous three sittings solved nothing becos they were busy marking register for humongous salaries while the nation suffers. They are better off sitting at home.

No sympathy here. The people will fight for you if they put you there. So go meet whoever bulldozed you into that quagmire.

This clearly shows that they're all after their pockets and selfish interests and not the interest of the country or their people.

The legislative arm of government should be made part time!

It's a total rip off and a waste!

Clueless and Lazy leaders.
Come 2023 we youth must vote for competent ,selfless and empathy oriented Aspirants to Lead this blessed Nation
Proactivity Leads To Productivity!!!
@Seniorwriter

their sitting get meaning b4

Are these mofos kidding?? What kind of imbecility is this? With the humongous amounts of money they collect every month. What happened to virtual sittings? Do they even need funds to come and sit their asses down and sleep as usual in the house??

WTF. they've got nothing to offer. Shameless mofos. They should be scraped

Buhari has been the President and the parliament

dont really matter much to him

What's the usefulness of their idle sitting?

People that will leave their homes only to come and sleep and snor in the house.