Nigeria: Civil Society Faults National Assembly

By Development Diaries
September 1, 2020

A coalition of civil society organisations (CSOs) in Nigeria has faulted the country’s national assembly for failing to meet for 181 days in a year as stipulated by the Nigerian constitution.

Development Diaries understands that under section 63 of the Nigerian constitution, the national assembly, comprising the Senate and the House of Representatives, is mandated to meet no fewer than 181 days in a year.

But the ninth assembly, which was inaugurated on 11 June, 2019, did not meet up to the stipulated number of days in a year.

‘They (members of the National Assembly) have had two months vacation, 56 days public holiday, 42-day Yuletide, 49 days [Covid-19] break, in addition to 62 days for Saturdays and Sunday. This means 216 days out of 365 days in a year’, the coalition said in a statement.

The statement further read, ‘We, the undersigned civil society organisations, are constrained to issue this statement over the drop off of legislative activities by the national assembly at a time when its role is more critical than ever before’.

But reacting to this development, the Speaker of the House of Representative, Femi Gbajabiamila, said that the call of the CSOs was due to perceived misunderstanding of the workings of the legislature, which is expected to resume on 15 September, 2020.

He said , ‘There has been a lot of misunderstanding and misconception.

‘First of all, whatever form of democracy you practice anywhere in the world, there is always an annual recess.

‘It is a different thing when you close plenary and committees are still working – there is a big difference.

‘Now, because there is Covid and people are forced to stay in, it is no excuse to continue work the way we continue’.

The coalition questioned the leadership of the House of Representatives for ‘suspending all legislative activities including investigative hearings that had captivated the nation’, adding that ‘there was no justification or reason given for the illogical step taken by the House of Representatives to suspend committee activities’.

The CSOs accused the house leadership of ‘relying on the established global practice of suspending legislative activities while the institution of the legislature is on a break’.

Responding to this accusation, Gbajabiamila said, ‘For the civil society to talk about why are you going on recess, we are always happy to look at advanced democracies whether it is Germany, America, or England.

‘As I speak to you, the US Congress is on recess. It is their annual recess. You will not hear of any investigative hearing or public hearing’.

The coalition consists the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), Centre for Democratic Research and Training (CRDDERT), Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), Media Rights Agenda (MRA), Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), and Zero-Corruption Coalition (ZCC), among others.