Half of Bills in 10th National Assembly Recycled from Previous Sessions – Report

In a recent analysis by OrderPaper, Nigeria’s leading parliamentary monitoring organization, it was revealed that over half of the bills introduced in the 10th National Assembly were recycled from previous legislative sessions, particularly from the 9th assembly.

The report, covering June 2023 to May 2024, disclosed that more than 50% of Senate bills were reintroduced from earlier assemblies, while nearly one-third of House of Representatives bills were brought back from previous sessions.

Oke Epia, Founder and Executive Director of OrderPaper, raised concerns about this trend, pointing to potential issues of legislative “copy-pasting” and the commercialization of bill sponsorships. He noted that despite a surge in the number of bills introduced, there has been a slow progression in moving them through the legislative process.

“The analysis shows that 475 bills were introduced in the Senate, but only 19 have been passed, while 416 are still awaiting a second reading. Similarly, in the House of Representatives, 1,175 bills were introduced, with just 58 passed and 967 still pending second readings,” Epia stated.

The report also highlighted that 15 senators and 149 House members, or 12.6% of the total membership, failed to sponsor any bills during the period under review. Notably, 62% of these non-sponsoring lawmakers were first-time representatives.

The report emphasized a lack of focus on critical national issues such as agriculture, food security, and security. Bills on agriculture and food security made up only 5.8% of the House bills and 7.3% of Senate bills, while security-related legislation accounted for just 7.2% and 5.4% in the House and Senate, respectively.

Epia called for greater accountability and urged Nigerians to focus not just on the quantity of bills but on their quality and impact. “The gap between promise and progress must be closed if the 10th assembly is to fulfill its potential,” he said.

OrderPaper’s detailed performance report card will be available on its website for public review.