“We Fund Naming Ceremonies” – Senate Spokesman Opposes Part-Time Legislature, Defends Lawmakers’ Budget

Senate Spokesman Yemi Adaramodu has rejected calls for Nigeria’s National Assembly to operate on a part-time basis, warning that such a move would endanger the country’s democracy. Speaking during an interview on Channels Television’s *Politics Today* on Friday, June 13, Adaramodu stated that reducing the legislative arm to part-time status would amount to reducing democracy itself to part-time.

According to Adaramodu, who represents Ekiti South Senatorial District under the All Progressives Congress (APC), the parliament is the “bastion and fulcrum” of Nigeria’s democracy and should not be a target for cost-cutting measures. He emphasized that the National Assembly does more than lawmaking, adding that lawmakers are also responsible for oversight of the executive and act as first responders to the needs of their constituents.

He noted that lawmakers frequently support their constituents financially, including providing funds for naming ceremonies, house construction, and other community needs. “We go home almost every time and we are the ones when they give birth to a new baby, they ask for naming ceremony funds. When they are building a new house, it is from us they ask for assistance,” he said. “So, if the parliament was not there, who do you expect that our constituents would run to?”

Adaramodu argued that the National Assembly has become an easy target for public criticism, especially regarding lawmakers’ earnings, but defended the current financial structure. “If we are on part-time, can’t the same amount of money be paid to part-time legislators?” he asked rhetorically. He pointed out that lawmakers are not provided with accommodation, drivers, or domestic staff by the National Assembly and that housing allowances are issued once every four years and deducted monthly from salaries.

He also clarified that the official vehicles given to lawmakers are not registered in their names, although he did not state whether the vehicles are retained after their tenure. His remarks come amid ongoing public debate about the cost of governance and controversy surrounding the monthly earnings of federal legislators. In 2024, former Senator Shehu Sani claimed that members of the current Senate receive ₦21 million monthly, a figure the National Assembly later denied.