Legislature
10th NASS: Over 150 Reps members-elect accompany Tajudeen Abass as he visits APC secretariat
***Adamu harps on need to sustain consultation with aggrieved aspirants
At least 150 House of Representatives members-elect on Tuesday stormed the national secretariat of the ruling All progressives Congress (APC) in solidarity with its preferred candidate for speakership, Dr Tajudeen Abass.
Abass who was at the secretariat of the party for a consultative meeting expressed appreciation to the Sen Abdullahi Adamu led national working committee (NWC) over the decision to nominate him as the next Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Abbas who represents Zaria federal constituency of Kaduna state on the APC platform, accompanied by members of the Joint task 10th Assembly team
reiterated his commitment towards the protection of the interest of the party, the institution of the legislature and the entire country.
He called on the party’s leadership not to rest on their oars in replicating the successes recorded in the recently held general elections by delivering the leadership of the 10th National Assembly.
Kalu who expressed appreciation over his nomination as the Deputy Speaker of the House remarked that the decision would calm frayed nerves in the South East geopolitical zone over the cry of exclusion and marginalisation over the power sharing arrangement in the country.
He noted: “You sat and did the right thing. I never visited any of you, I never lobbied any of you, I never gave any of you any money, but you sat and picked me to be the DS. That means you were dispassionate about your decision.
“We are promising you that we will protect the institution. The sovereignty of the Legislature will be upheld but not overlooking inter-dependence of all arms.
“I pledge that my principal will be given the support to succeed.
The Southeast is impressed that the party considered us this time around. This shows that the party is diversity sensitive.”
The Co- Chairman of the Joint Task 10th Assembly, Mr Usman Kumo is upbeat that the duo of Abass and Benjamin Kalu would coast home to victorious with over 250 out of 360 available votes of newly elected members of the House of Representatives.
Kumo who chairs the House committee on Police Affiars insist that the decision by the party to settle for the duo of Abass and Benjamin Kalu as Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives was in tandem with international best practices.
Kumo said the decision by the party was well thought out as the duo do not only have the right temparament, but have the requisite competence and experience to preside over the affairs of the House of Representatives.
Assuring that his team would do all within their powers to ensure they emerge victorious, he warned against the repeat of the acrimonious relationship that existed between the legislature and executive arms under the Senator Bukola Saraki led leadership of the national Assembly.
Kumo who was accompanied by no fewer than 100 members elect drawn from the APC, NNPP, LP, ADC, SDP, APGA assured that the House under the leadership of Tajudeen Abass would sustain the cordial and beneficial working relationship between the executive and legislative arms witnessed within the last four years.
Said he: “The Joint Task – 10th Assembly is a group of members-elect of the 10th House who came together for the unity of the country and the stability of the House.You people are talent hunters, and you have hunted well.
“On Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, from 1979 to date, there is no parliamentarian in Nigeria who was privileged to sponsor 74 Bills. What we want to do now is to promote synergy between the Executive and the Legislature. Out of the 74 Bills, 21 were signed into law.
“The chairman of our party is the number one witness that if you go against your party, you may not represent your people well. We intend to promote this product because we need that synergy and harmonious relationship. Our zonal interventions and constituency projects are implemented 100% under the 9th Assembly because of the good relationship between the Executive and the Legislature.
“All of us here are more than willing, the ones you see here, others have left for their constituencies after the induction. We would have brought over 250 members-elect here. We are going to ensure that we implement your zoning undiluted 100 percent.”
Adamu insisted that the decision by the party on the preferred candidates for the national Assembly leadership was arrived at after due consultations with the President -Elect, the NWC members and critical stakeholders of the party across the country.
He admonished the joint task team to sustain the ongoing consultations with those jostling for the speakership seat and other critical stakeholders of the party to calm frayed nerves over the controversy surrounding the zoning arrangement of the party.
Abass who later fielded questions reporters after the parley with the APC NWC members dismissed the notion held in certain quarters that the party would reverse it’s decision on the zoning arrangement of principal officers of the national Assembly.
“To the best of our knowledge, the party is resolute on its earlier decision to sustain the announcement made earlier. We are not aware there’s any change of decision concerning the candidature of my humble self and my colleague from the House of Reps and my colleague in the Senate. There has not been any thing like that to the best of our knowledge.
On the issue of reaching out, he said: “I can assure you we are doing the best we can. Just a week ago if you have observed three aspirants, one of them is here with us, have come out publicly to declare their support on us.
“As we are talking today, I am engaging not less than three other contestants. We are talking and hopeful that at the end of the day we will be able to reach a precise destination.”
On what should Nigerians expect if he emerge the Speaker of the House, he said: “We are assuring them that case we have recorded in the 9th assembly will not only be sustained but it will be improved. Very soon we are coming with our sixteen-point agenda which will address each and every area we feel Nigeria should have improvement in the legislative chamber, please wait for the document to come out, you will see that Nigeria will move forward come June 13 202.”
***Allocates N23.96 Trillion for Capital Projects, N14.31 Trillion for Debt Servicing
The Nigerian Senate along with the House of Represebtatives have passed the 2025 Appropriation Bill, approving a record-breaking budget of N54,990,165,355,396 to finance government activities in the coming fiscal year.
The budget, titled A Bill for an Act to Authorise the Issue from the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the Federation, was approved after deliberations on its allocations and implications for economic growth, debt management, and infrastructure development.
The chairman of the National Assemble Godswill Akpabio who is also the President of the Senate gave the beakdown of the 2025 Budget to show that Statutory Transfers: ₦3.65 trillion, debt Servicing: ₦14.32 trillion, Recurrent (Non-Debt) Expenditure: ₦13.06 trillion and
Capital Expenditure: ₦23.96 trillion
The largest chunk of the budget, ₦23.96 trillion, was allocated for capital expenditure, aimed at infrastructure development, healthcare, education, and security.
This signals the government’s commitment to addressing Nigeria’s infrastructural deficit.
However, the ₦14.32 trillion earmarked for debt servicing highlights the country’s rising debt burden, sparking concerns over long-term financial sustainability.
With the National Assembly approval, the budget now awaits President Bola Tinubu’s assent, after which implementation will begin. Analysts predict a challenging fiscal year, balancing economic growth with prudent spending and debt repayment.
However, time will tell whether the historic budget will deliver on its promises, or economic realities force adjustments down the line?
***Says addittional fund is to Prioritize Infrastructure, Health, Economic Growth
The chairman of the senate committee on Appropriation Senator Adeola Solomon Olamilekan has explained the approval of the 2025 Appropriation Bill by the national Assembly which it increased from N49.7 trillion to N54.99 trillion—the highest in the nation’s history.
The adjustment followed legislative reviews that uncovered additional revenues from key government agencies.
While explaining the Budget Expansion and Revenue Sources Olamilekan indicated that the additional N4.99 trillion was sourced from Nigeria Customs Service, Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and Government-Owned Enterprises (GOEs)
These he said led to an increase in funding for critical sectors, including N1.5 trillion for Bank of Agriculture, N500 billion for Bank of Industry, 1 trillion for Ministry of Solid Minerals, N1.5 trillion for Renewable Infrastructure Fund, N300 billion – Road construction and N400 billion for Rail transport.
Others are N380 billion of Water resources, irrigation, and dam projects, N250 billion for Military barracks renovation N120 billion for New military aviation projects, N50 billion for Border security agencies
Following the suspension of U.S. health aid, which previously provided funding for HIV, tuberculosis, malaria, and polio treatments, President Tinubu approved $200 million (N300 billion) to ensure continued medical supplies and healthcare support for affected patients.
On the major Boost for Infrastructure Development he said a record N23.7 trillion has been allocated for capital projects, marking a significant leap in infrastructure investment.
He listed the areas the funds will focus on to include Roads and railways,nEducation and healthcare improvements and Other critical public infrastructure
To prevent delays in budget implementation, the 2026 budget process will begin in July 2025, with the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) submitted early and the Appropriation Bill expected by October 2025.
Concerns over inadequate rail infrastructure funding in the South East were raised, but legislative leaders clarified that rail projects are primarily funded through public-private partnerships (PPPs).
According to him, the 2025 budget focuses on light rail development in Lagos, Ogun, Kaduna, and Kano, while further discussions on South East projects are ongoing.
He explained that to maintain Economic Stability the budget parameters remain unchanged, with key revenue sources including FIRS increasing its revenue target to N25.1 trillion, Nigeria Customs Service boosting revenue collection through stricter enforcement and Independent revenue agencies contributing 100% of their generated funds to the federal government
The House of Representatives has directed its Joint Committee on Communications and Interior to investigate reports of unauthorized National Identification Number (NIN) linkages by telecom service providers across Nigeria.
The decision followed the unanimous adoption of a motion jointly sponsored by Hon. Patrick Umoh (APC, Akwa Ibom) and Hon. Julius Ihonvbere (APC, Edo). The House also instructed the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to probe the allegations and sanction any telecom operator found guilty of violating privacy laws.
Additionally, the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has been asked to clarify whether telecom providers were authorized to link NINs to subscriber lines and if such actions comply with existing regulations.
Hon. Umoh raised concerns about recent reports indicating that telecom companies have linked NINs to subscribers’ SIM cards without their consent. He warned that this unauthorized linkage exposes Nigerians to criminal activities, such as identity theft, financial fraud, and other cybercrimes.
“This action is a clear violation of the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023 and the Nigeria Data Protection Regulation (NDPR) 2019, which guarantee the right to privacy and the protection of personal data,” Umoh stated.
He further emphasized that while the NIN system was introduced to enhance national security and streamline identification processes, unauthorized linkages undermine public trust and jeopardize citizens’ safety.
“Aware that innocent citizens have been wrongly implicated in crimes, suffered reputational damage, harassment, and legal challenges for offenses they know nothing about, it is imperative that we address this issue immediately,” Umoh added.
The House has mandated the probe committee to submit its findings within four weeks, as lawmakers seek to protect Nigerians from potential data breaches and uphold the integrity of national security protocols.
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