A performance report by OrderPaper, Nigeria’s parliamentary monitoring organization, has revealed that 15 senators and 149 members of the House of Representatives did not sponsor any bills during the first year of the 10th National Assembly.
The report, presented in Abuja by Oke Epia, Executive Director of OrderPaper, showed that only 77 bills were passed out of 1,442 introduced between June 2023 and May 2024.
Among the senators named for not sponsoring any bills were Amos Yohanna (PDP, Adamawa North), Victor Umeh (LP, Anambra Central), Samaila Kaila (PDP, Bauchi North), Abdul Ningi (PDP, Bauchi Central), Ani Okorie (APC, Ebonyi South), Adams Oshiomhole (APC, Edo North), Neda Imasuen (LP, Edo South), and Kelvin Chizoba (LP, Enugu East).
Other senators in this group included Muntari Dandutse (APC, Katsina South), Jiya Ndalikali (PDP, Niger South), Onyesoh Allwell (PDP, Rivers East), Haruna Manu (PDP, Taraba Central), Ahmad Lawan (APC, Yobe North), Napoleon Bali (PDP, Plateau South), and Abubakar Yari (APC, Zamfara Central).
A previous report by Daily Trust had already identified that four of the 13 former governors in the Senate, along with 21 other senators, had not sponsored any bills from June 2023 to March 2024.
Epia also highlighted a concerning trend of recycled legislation, with over half of the Senate bills and nearly one-third of those in the House being reintroduced from previous assemblies.
The report raised questions about legislative originality and the commitment to addressing Nigeria’s current challenges.
The Senate saw 475 bills introduced, with only 19 passed, while the House introduced 1,175 bills, passing just 58. Many of these bills are still pending at the second reading stage, signaling inefficiencies in legislative processes.
The report emphasized the gap between bill sponsorship and actual progression, pointing to a need for greater legislative efficiency.
Epia underscored that the slow movement of bills is a persistent issue in the National Assembly, urging a shift in focus from the quantity of bills introduced to their quality and impact.
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