Electricity tariff, food inflation, fuel scarcity, others top agenda as NASS resumes

After five weeks of recess, the National Assembly resumes today amid pressure on lawmakers by constituents to prevail on the government to address the rising cost of living caused by the hike in electricity tariffs, food inflation, scarcity of petroleum products, as well as calls for reversal of Senator Abdul Ningi’s suspension.

In separate interviews, lawmakers had expressed readiness by the Senate to intensify interactions with Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to improve on delivery of good governance, particularly at this time of severe economic pain.

Senate spokesman, Yemi Adaramodu, told The Guardian yesterday that relevant committees of the upper legislative chamber have fully mobilised to enhance oversight of MDAs for a better economy. He said the huge votes to the agricultural and relevant sectors in the 2024 budget were to promote rapid improvement.

Agriculture got N362.9 billion ¬- a capital expenditure of 252.7 billion, N102.1 for personnel, and N8.1 billion for overhead cost.

Also creating tension for the Senate is the increase in electricity tariffs.

The two chambers, which were initially billed to resume two weeks ago, had shifted resumption to today partly because of the tension caused by the higher cost of living, worsened by the electricity tariff hike.

It was learnt that the body of principal officers of the National Assembly, led by President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio and House of Representatives’ Speaker, Tajudeen Abbas, acting on security intelligence, as well as initial reactions of many lawmakers against the electricity tariff hike resorted to extending the recess to provide for sufficient time for consultation among the various caucuses in the two chambers.

The upper legislative chamber declared yesterday that it would review the three-month suspension placed on Ningi over “unfair comment” regarding the 2024 budget.

He was axed after alleging that the Presidency was executing a different budget different from the N28.77 trillion passed by the National Assembly.

Adaramodu confirmed that if the Bauchi lawmaker, Ningi, should make any plea for the lifting of his suspension, he might be pardoned.

Furthermore, the probe on the killing of 17 soldiers and military officers in Okuama and insecurity in the country are also top on the agenda.

The Senate has already mandated its Committees on Army, Defence, Air Force and Navy to unravel the circumstances surrounding the dastardly killings in the Delta community. The Red Chamber has, meanwhile, commenced an investigative hearing on the increase in the electricity tariff in 11 states.

At the meeting yesterday, the lawmakers also vowed to punish anyone or agency found culpable of aggravating the sufferings of Nigerians.

Through its Committee on Power, the Senate had invited the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, and heads of agencies under the ministry over the issue.

The committee chairman, Eyinnaya Ababribe, confirmed the chamber’s authorisation of the parley in Abuja yesterday.
Equally, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Abbas Tajudeen, yesterday, inspected the renovated chambers of the House ahead of resumption today.

He undertook the exercise in the company of the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, and the House’s Deputy Speaker, Benjamin Kalu.

The trio led several principal officers on the inspection. Abbas, who addressed journalists in the chambers, said he was delighted by its new look and the facilities installed in the building.

The Speaker disclosed that the quality of work done had erased the skepticism about the capacity of a local contractor handling the project.

He hailed Gbajabiamila for initiating the renovation project, as well as the construction of the NASS Library and the National Assembly Service Commission Complex.

Gbajabiamila also expressed satisfaction with the work done in the chambers, saying he would have loved the renovation to have been completed before he left the House as Speaker to take his new appointment.