By Saawua Terzungwe, Itodo Daniel Sule & Balarabe Alkassim
The 10th National Assembly clocked one year last month, but not without its fair share of controversies.
Since its inauguration on June 13, 2023, the 10th Assembly led by the Senate President Godswill Akpabio and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Tajuddeen Abbas, has recorded some controversies. Weekend Trust examines some of them.
Hasty passage of National Anthem Bill
The hasty passage of a bill by the National Assembly to return Nigeria to the colonial national anthem, ‘Nigeria we Hail Thee’, was one of the issues that triggered controversies and backlash in the country.
‘Nigeria, We Hail Thee’, composed by the Britons, was Nigeria’s national anthem from independence in 1960 until 1978, when it was replaced by a new anthem, ‘Arise, O Compatriots.’
The bill to change the anthem, which was simultaneously introduced in the Senate and the House of Representatives, on May 23, received accelerated consideration and passage.
While the bill passed for second reading at the Senate, the same bill passed through first, second and third reading on the floor of the House of Representatives.
The speed at which both chambers of the National Assembly considered and passed the bill at a time Nigerians are facing challenges of rising inflation and insecurity among others has continued to generate backlash.
Nigerians are questioning the rationale behind the hasty passage of the bill, without subjecting it to public hearing, during which various stakeholders should have made their inputs.
Multi-billion naira SUVs for lawmakers
Another issue that brought the 10th Assembly under public scrutiny was the alleged purchase of multi-billion naira worth of vehicles for the lawmakers amidst the economic hardship bedeviling Nigerians. It was reported that the SUVs purchased for the lawmakers were valued at N57.6 billion. But like in the past, the 10th Assembly defended its action, justifying it with the demands of their oversight functions which they said require rugged vehicles to traverse difficult terrains.
Ranches bill
The National Ranches Commission Establishment Bill 2024 also stirred controversy from different quarters with the herders rejecting the bill.
The bill, sponsored by Senator Titus Tartenger Zam (APC, Benue North West), is aimed at establishing ranches for herders in their states of origin. It recommends that herders should be relocated to their states of origin. It also proposed a five-year jail term and N50, 000 fine for defaulters. Though the bill scaled second reading on June 5, 2024, it faced stiff opposition from Northern senators, including the Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin, during its debate on the floor of the Senate.
While many have seen the bill as a move against the pastoralists, others including the sponsor, Senator Zam, are of the view that it would address the issue of herders-farmers clashes in the country. Senator Zam had argued that if enacted, the National Ranches Commission would oversee the management, preservation and control of ranches nationwide.
N3.7trn budget padding allegation/Ningi’s suspension
Another controversy that trailed the 10th National Assembly and particularly, the Senate within the period under review was the suspension of Senator Abdul Ningi (PDP, Bauchi Central) in March, 2024, for a period of three months.
Senator Ningi had granted an interview to the BBC Hausa Services, during which he alleged that N3.7 trillion in the national budget for the 2024 fiscal year was not tied to any project or location.
The allegation sparked anger among some of the senators and the principal officers of the Senate. Ningi was given the opportunity to defend his claim on the floor of the Senate, but the law-making body consequently suspended him for failing to prove his allegation.
Many Nigerians expressed displeasure over the scheme of things at the National Assembly and called for a probe into the matter. Ningi was, however, recalled from the suspension before the termination of the three months period.
Prayers to senators’ mailboxes’
Also, the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, goofed during plenary in August last year, when he mistakenly revealed that money had been sent to senators’ accounts to enjoy their recess, forgetting that the proceeding was being streamed live.He started addressing his colleagues before adjournment motion was moved at the end of the Senate’s ministerial screening.
The Senate president said, “In order to enable all of us to enjoy our holidays, a token has been sent to our various accounts by the Clerk of the National Assembly.”
He, however, withdrew the statement swiftly, when his colleagues drew his attention to the fact that he was speaking on a live television programme.
In his second version of the statement, Akpabio said, “In order to allow you to enjoy your holiday, the senate president has sent prayers to your mailboxes to assist you to go on a safe journey and return.”
There was outrage over Akpabio’s revelation, given the economic hardship in the country. Many also considered it an embarrassment, including the lawmakers. It was learnt that each of the 109 senators got N2 million as holiday allowance.
Job racketeering probe scandal
Another controversy that caught the attention of Nigerians was the allegation against the Rep. Yusuf Adamu Gagdi-led committee that investigated the Federal Character Commission (FCC), tertiary institutions and other organisations over alleged ‘job racketeering.’
However, members of the committee vehemently denied involvement in the act and threatened legal action.
Members of the committee were accused of taking bribe from some institutions, including vice chancellors of some universities being investigated.
Following this, the committee’s investigation was later taken over by the House Committee on Federal Character headed by the former deputy speaker, Rep. Ahmed Idris Wase. The findings of the investigation are still unknown.
Binance’ $150m bribery allegation
Binance CEO, Richard Teng, had in May 2024, revealed in a blog post published by the New York Times, that some members of the House of Representatives investigating their activities in the country demanded crypto currency as bribe from Binance executives prior to their detention by the Nigerian authorities.
According to the post, Tigran Gambaryan, a compliance officer with the exchange, claimed to have received an unsettling message on a trip to Nigeria in January.
“On a trip to Nigeria in January, Tigran Gambaryan, a compliance officer for the giant crypto currency exchange, Binance, received an unsettling message: The company had 48 hours to make a payment of roughly $150 million in crypto,” the report said.However, the House of Representatives denied demanding bribe from Binance. The federal government also, in its reaction refuted the allegations of bribery against the lawmakers, describing it as diversionary.
Push for return to parliamentary system
The move by a group of 60 members of the House of Representatives in February to return Nigeria to a parliamentary system by 2031 triggered debates.
The spokesperson for the group, Abdulsamad Dasuki, at a press conference at the National Assembly complex in Abuja, said the proposed amendment of the 1999 Constitution would significantly impact the nation’s political landscape.
6-year single term presidency/ rotational presidency
Similarly, the bill sponsored by a group of 35 members seeking a single term of six years for the president and state governors’ ignited controversy.
The bill also canvassed the rotation of the presidency among the six geopolitical zones in the country. The 35 legislators, under the auspices of Reformed-minded Legislators, said the proposition would lead to a reduction in the cost of governance. Debate on that is still ongoing among Nigerians.
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