Report Reveals 164 Lawmakers in 10th National Assembly Have Not Sponsored Any Bills

A recent performance report from Nigeria’s leading parliamentary monitoring group, OrderPaper, has revealed that 164 lawmakers in the 10th National Assembly have yet to sponsor any bills since its inauguration on June 13, 2023.

This group includes 15 Senators and 149 members of the House of Representatives.

The analysis highlighted that a majority of these inactive lawmakers—62% in the House of Representatives—are first-timers.

In a statement released on Wednesday, Oke Epia, Founder and Executive Director of OrderPaper, noted that the National Assembly has faced a slow progression in the processing of bills.

The sluggish pace is largely due to the recycling of legislative proposals from previous Assemblies, especially the 9th Assembly.

The report revealed that over 50% of bills submitted in the Senate between June 2023 and May 2024 were recycled, while nearly a third of the bills introduced in the House of Representatives were carried over from prior Assemblies.

OrderPaper expressed concern over potential “legislative copy-pasting” and the overall stagnation in bill processing within both chambers.

The report detailed that the Senate introduced 475 bills during the period, with only 19 passed and 416 still awaiting a second reading.

Similarly, in the House of Representatives, out of 1,175 bills introduced, just 58 have been passed, while 967 remain pending.

Epia stressed the importance of lawmakers focusing on the quality and relevance of the bills they sponsor, not just the sheer volume, to address national challenges more effectively.

He urged Nigerian citizens to demand greater accountability from their representatives.

Joy Erurane, Program Executive at OrderPaper, also pointed out an imbalance in the sectoral coverage of bills, noting the lack of attention to key areas like agriculture, food security, and security, despite their critical importance to Nigerians.

This report raises important questions about the effectiveness of legislative activities in the 10th National Assembly and underscores the need for genuine commitment to impactful lawmaking.