The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, Ph.D, highlights the persistence of the National Assembly budget without significant adjustments for over a decade, despite economic inflation.
 |
| Rt. Hon. Abbas Tajudeen |
Press Statement from the Office of the Speaker, House of Representatives
September 27, 2023
In a meeting with a delegation from the African Business Roundtable in Abuja, Speaker Abbas Tajudeen revealed that the National Assembly's annual budget has remained stagnant for 13 years. This, he emphasized, has persisted even as expenditures within the federal legislature have increased during this period.
While addressing the delegation led by Mr. Dotun Ajayi, the Executive Director (West Africa), Speaker Abbas clarified, "Our budget has been stagnant for 13 years, but our expenditure has gone up within the period. In fact, at some points, the National Assembly budget came down from what it used to be in 2011."
Speaker Abbas went on to highlight the significant efforts made by the 10th House in creating over 60 parliamentary friendship committees aimed at bolstering relationships between the House and other parliaments worldwide. He stressed that these committees require external support to operate efficiently and reiterated the House's commitment to any initiative that fosters enhanced relationships with other parliaments.
"I am pleased to inform you that the House has thought about what you're talking about several months ago. On July 27, we announced membership of 43 parliamentary friendship committees to find ways of improving our relations in terms of business and other aspects with them. Two weeks ago, we increased it from 43 to 65. Just yesterday, we also included Serbia, making it 66," he stated.
Speaker Abbas assured the delegation of the House's alignment with their agenda for engagements with other parliaments, describing it as a noble endeavor. He further affirmed, "This meeting will be a historic one which will be a point of reference in the future. We will pursue it with all the energy we have."
During the discussion, Mr. Ajayi shed light on the recent political developments in Niger Republic and the ensuing implications for engagements between European countries and West Africa. He pointed out that Niger's diplomatic relations have faced challenges, particularly with France, which is now contemplating discontinuing various forms of assistance to West Africa due to the political upheaval.
"The President has been playing some roles behind the scene on this. The parliament needs to be seen to work with him on this. Our Parliament should engage the French Parliament and the EU," Mr. Ajayi emphasized.
He also mentioned that the European Union has allocated 20 billion Euros for Sub-Saharan Africa, underlining the importance of increasing Nigeria's share through strategic engagements. Mr. Ajayi proposed a collaborative partnership between the National Assembly and the EU, as well as the French Parliament, to amplify the impact of these efforts.
Post a Comment