A recent performance report from Nigeria’s leading parliamentary monitoring organization, OrderPaper, has revealed that 164 lawmakers in the 10th National Assembly have not sponsored any bills since its inauguration on June 13, 2023.
The list includes 15 Senators and 149 House of Representatives members.
The analysis further highlighted that most of these lawmakers, 62% in the House of Representatives, are first-timers.
In a statement issued on Wednesday by Oke Epia, the Founder and Executive Director of OrderPaper, it was observed that the National Assembly faced slow progression in processing bills.
This slow pace was marked by the recycling of legislative proposals from previous Assemblies, particularly the 9th Assembly.
The report stated that in the Senate, over 50% of the bills submitted between June 2023 and May 2024 were recycled, while nearly a third of bills in the House of Representatives were also carried over from previous Assemblies.
OrderPaper expressed concerns about possible “legislative copy-pasting” and the stagnation of bill processing in both chambers.
The report showed that the Senate introduced 475 bills, of which only 19 were passed, with 416 still awaiting second reading.
Similarly, in the House of Representatives, out of 1,175 introduced bills, only 58 were passed, while 967 are still pending.
Epia emphasized the need for lawmakers to focus not just on the volume of bills, but on the quality and relevance to national challenges.
He urged Nigerian citizens to demand greater accountability from their representatives.
Joy Erurane, Program Executive at OrderPaper, also underscored the imbalance in sectoral coverage of bills, noting a lack of focus on critical issues like agriculture, food security, and security, despite their importance to Nigerians.
This report raises crucial questions about the effectiveness of legislative activities in the 10th National Assembly and the need for genuine commitment to impactful lawmaking.
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