National Assembly inflates its budget by 75%, approves N4bn for recreational centre

National Assembly inflates its budget by 75%, approves N4bn for recreational centre

The National Assembly has inflated its 2024 budget from N197 billion to N344 billion.

The new amount is 51 percent higher than the 2023 NASS budget and 75 percent higher than the initial proposal. If signed by the President, this will be the highest amount ever allocated to the National Assembly.

More importantly, NASS allocated N4 billion for the construction of a new National Assembly Recreational Centre and N6 billion to build car packs, reigniting new discussions about the cost of governance in Nigeria.

BREAKDOWN OF NASS BUDGET

The National Assembly voted N78.624 billion for the House of Representatives and N49.145 billion for the Senate.

The National Assembly Recreational Centre was allotted N4 billion in the budget breakdown, while the Senate and the House of Representatives each received N6 billion for the construction of car packs.

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The National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS) building was approved for completion with N4.5 billion, while the National Assembly additionally approved N2.7 billion for the furnishing of committee meeting rooms and other offices within the Senate building.

Other allocations are N3 billion each for infrastructure upgrades and a NASS modern printing press. An additional N3 billion was approved for purchasing books in the NASS library.

N2.5 billion was allotted to the Pension Board, N1.230 billion for retired clerks & permanent secretaries and N1 billion for constitution review. The Senate Appropriations Committee got N200 million, while the Public Accounts Committee got N130 million and N150 million for the Senate and the House, respectively.

THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY BUDGET HAS INCREASED STEADILY FOR FOUR YEARS

FIJ observed that the budgetary allocations to the National Assembly have increased steadily over the past four years. This is also not the first time the National Assembly has increased its budget.

In 2021, for instance, the National Assembly got N128 billion, according to the appropriation bill. This amount was increased to N134 billion.

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Also in 2022, the National Assembly increased its budget to N139 billion from the original N128 billion proposed by the Federal Government.

FIJ observed a similar pattern in 2023; the proposed amount allotted to the National Assembly was N169 billion. Before approval, the National Assembly increased this amount by 35 percent to N228.1 billion.

WITH THE NEW BUDGET, NASS WILL SPEND MORE THAN 18 STATES IN 2024

In a previous report, FIJ revealed that the National Assembly got a higher budgetary allocation than Ekiti State for the 2024 fiscal year, based on the proposed figures in the appropriation bill.

Following recent adjustments made by the National Assembly, the number of states with a lower budgetary allocation than the National Assembly has now risen to 18.

With the current figure, Borno, Edo, Taraba, Bauchi, Jigawa, Kwara, Plateau, Osun, Kogi, Sokoto, Kebbi, Cross Rivers, Adamawa, Benue, Yobe, Gombe, Ebonyi and Ekiti would spend less than the National Assembly in 2024.

National Assembly inflates its budget by 75%, approves N4bn for recreational centre

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