As Nigeria’s 10th National Assembly crosses its first year, OrderPaper’s 10th Assembly Report Card reveals that some lawmakers, including young and newbies, have sponsored a long list of bills, yet none have progressed beyond the first reading stage.
While sponsoring a large number of bills signals intent to address pressing issues, seeing these bills through to the end goal of becoming laws is what truly makes an impact. For some lawmakers, introducing bills is the easy part, but moving them forward has proven to be challenging—a trend observed during the first year of the 10th House.
With 1,175 bills sponsored in the House of Representatives between June 2023 and May 2024, the 10th House has seemingly been busy. However, OrderPaper’s detailed data-driven analysis reveals that many of these bills have not progressed past the early stages of lawmaking, with a significant number stuck awaiting a second reading. That is, only the short titles of these bills have been read out during plenary in the House of Representatives.
READ ALSO: Governance: 7 steps of how bills become laws
To highlight this issue, we focus on the top ten representatives whose bills remain stagnated despite their high volume.
Rep. Manu Soro, representing Darazo/Ganjuwa federal constituency of Bauchi State, leads with the highest number of stagnated bills. He has 23 bills to his name, but none have progressed beyond the first reading. Despite being listed among the “Top 10 Youngest Reps” based on bill volume, his many bills are still stuck awaiting second reading. This shows little progress has been made on his bills.
READ ALSO: 10TH NASS REPORT CARD: Bauchi youngest rep sponsors highest stagnant bills
Following closely is Rep. Whingan Oluseun (APC, Lagos), who has sponsored 19 bills, all of which remain stuck awaiting second reading. Rep. Ikeagwuonu Ugochinyere (PDP, Imo) and Rep. Soli Sada (APC, Katsina) have each introduced 15 bills, but none have passed the first reading stage.
Similarly, Rep. Kuye Ademorin (APC, Lagos) and Rep. Okunlola Lanre (APC, Surulere II, Lagos) also have 15 bills each, but all are stagnated bills. Aliyu Almustapha (APC, Sokoto) has introduced 13 bills, but they too await progression to the second reading.
Rep. Aguocha Obinna, representing Umuahia North/Ikwuano/South federal constituency of Abia State, is another key figure. As a first-term lawmaker under the Labour Party (LP), Aguocha has shown enthusiasm by making the top 10 “newbies” list based on bill volume. With 12 sponsored bills, he has demonstrated legislative enthusiasm to address issues ranging from education to healthcare in Abia State. However, like his counterparts, all of Aguocha’s bills are stuck awaiting second reading.
READ ALSO: 10TH NASS REPORT CARD: Abia lawmakers post 122 bills in 1 year
Other lawmakers facing similar challenges include Magaji Gwamna (PDP, Kaduna), who has introduced 12 bills, and Nyampa Daudu (PDP, Adamawa), who has 11. Yet, none of their bills have moved beyond the early legislative stages.
While having a large number of bills looks impressive on paper, it means little if these bills do not advance to become laws. It’s still early days for the 10th House, however, the fact that so many bills are stuck awaiting second reading indicates a need for a faster legislative process in the House of Representatives.
As citizens, it’s important to stay informed about what your representatives are doing, or not doing. The data from OrderPaper provides a clear picture of which lawmakers are actively pushing for change and which lawmakers may need more push. Use this information to hold your representatives accountable. Let them know you’re paying attention, and that you expect more than just numbers. The trend of high bill sponsorship with little progression should not become the norm.
10th NASS Report Card: Read up on the performance scorecards of other senators, members of the House and specialised categories here.
