SENATE PRESIDENT AKPABIO RAISES ALARM OVER LACK OF TRANSPARENCY IN NATIONAL ASSEMBLY BUDGET. (PHOTO).

 

Senate President Akpabio Raises Alarm Over Lack of Transparency in National Assembly Budget

Senate President Godswill Akpabio has expressed serious concern over the lack of transparency in the National Assembly’s budgeting process, revealing that he has personally never seen the legislature’s budget.

Akpabio made the disclosure on the floor of the Senate during the presentation of a motion seeking to establish an Internal Tender Board for the National Assembly. The motion, sponsored by Senator Sunday Karimi (APC, Kogi West), was titled “Review of the Internal Procurement Process of the National Assembly.”

Emphasizing the need for openness in financial management, Akpabio insisted that greater transparency in the legislature’s budgeting must precede any procurement reforms.

“Personally, I have not seen the budget of the National Assembly,” Akpabio stated. “Senator Tambuwal, you were a Speaker, I don’t know, maybe in the House of Representatives, they showed you.”

Supporting this position, Senator Adamu Aliero (APC, Kebbi Central) lamented that many lawmakers are often kept in the dark about the details of the National Assembly’s budget. He described the situation as “putting the cart before the horse,” arguing that the absence of a functional Budget and Research Office remains a more fundamental problem.

“Two of the problems that we have in the National Assembly regarding the management of finances and the budget do not solely lie in the process of procurement,” Aliero said. “The problem has been that the National Assembly has not set up a Budget and Research Office.”

“What is happening today is that we don’t even know and we don’t even see the budget of the National Assembly being presented here so that we can interrogate and understand the lines of expenditure,” he added.

Aliero urged his colleagues to prioritize foundational issues, saying: “My opinion is that the Senator should step down this motion. Let us get the house right first before we talk about the issues that the Distinguished Senator Karimi is raising.”

Following the contributions, the Senate stepped down Senator Karimi’s motion. Lawmakers agreed that addressing transparency in budgeting and financial management must take precedence over procurement reforms.