The House of Representatives says
it is struggling with funds to carry out its responsibilities.
Speaking with journalists in
Abuja, Benjamin Kalu, spokesman of the lower legislative chamber, said the
responsibilities of lawmakers are bigger than their budget.
This is despite the National Assembly’s budget of N128 bullion for 2020, which is higher than the N125
billion appropriated for the parliament in 2019.
There have been calls that
monetary allocations to the national assembly be reduced.
But Kalu said Nigerians think so
because “many are not aware” of the nature of the national assembly’s
functions.
“The impression out there is not
true. The house of representatives is struggling with funds because the
activities of the house are bigger than the budget. This is the fact,” he said
at the media briefing at the weekend.
“The activities are many while
the funding is small. Many will not like to hear this, but this is the truth.
The speaker and the leadership are struggling to manage all the
responsibilities of the house with the available resources. You will agree with
me that the ability to harness available resources to meet a definite goal is
the definition of management
“We are not even talking of the
representatives’ functions that have to do with constituency projects. Let us
focus on making laws and doing our oversight functions. The money is not
enough.
“So, if any committee says we are
struggling, it is because there is no money, and not because the leadership
does not want to give them money. It is because they are trying to manage what
they have and their scale of preference determines who they fund.”
He said the house committees
often do complain of a lack of funds for oversight functions, and that as a
lawmaker, he is yet to get even a computer from the federal government.
“I will still join my voice with
the voices of those who are sincerely asking for more funds for the operation
of the national assembly. I say that, not wanting to know how the public will
react, because many of them react in ignorance,” he added.
“When it is the house of
representatives, everyone screams without taking time to do critical analysis
but with biases. It is time high we changed the narrative and began to let the
people know the truth.
“I have been in my office since I
resumed and I don’t have a computer from the government to do my job. This is
the fact. All my aides don’t have facilities to do their jobs. They keep
rationing these funds because it is the much we can do.”
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