As lawmakers return to plenary this week, OrderPaper’s Legislative Intelligence Unit forecasts that discussions around the 2025 budget, the arrest of IPOB leader Simon Ekpa in Finland, and President Tinubu’s bill on social investment will be key issues for consideration.
As lawmakers return to plenary at the National Assembly this week, the nation looks to them to address pressing issues of governance, economic reforms, and societal welfare. With a packed legislative agenda, the coming days promise intense debates and critical decisions that could shape the trajectory of Nigeria’s future.
Issues that may take centre stage this week includes presentation of report by the national assembly joint committee on finance, national planning, and economic affairs on the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF), President Tinubu’s National Social Investment Programme Agency Act (Amendment) Bill, 2024 and IPOB’s Simon Ekpa’s arrest in far away Finland.
Other issues expected to get atention in both Senate and the House of Representatives includes: legislative debates on controversial tax reforms bills, commemoration of International Day for the Elimination of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) as 16 days of activism begins, payment for a new multipurpose national ID card, and confirmation of new Chief of Army Staff. See details below.
MTEF and 2025 budget
The national assembly joint committee on finance, national planning, and economic affairs is expected to present its report on the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and Fiscal Strategy Paper (FSP) for 2025–2027 before the Senate and the House of Representatives this week. The documents were referred to these committees last week after being transmitted to the national assembly by President Bola Tinubu.
At an interactive session of the committee on Monday, it was revealed that agencies of the federal government have exceeded revenue targets but officials defended the government’s continual recourse to external borrowing. This issue may crop up as a concern in plenary of either or both houses this week.
NUGGET: The MTEF is a three-year rolling plan used as a framework for the annual budget. It outlines government revenue and expenditure projections. MTEF is a legal requirement under the Fiscal Responsibility Act, 2007. Read more here: MTEF: What it means and why it matters
Debate on Social Investment Programme
The National Social Investment Programme Agency Establishment Amendment Bill 2024 scaled first reading last week after being transmitted to the House of Representatives by the executive. It is expected that the Senate and the House of Representatives will debate on the significance of this bill this week. Despite repeated attempts to get the bill, details of the proposed amendment are not available at the time of filing this report.
IPOB’s Simon Ekpa’s arrest and possible extradition
The arrest of Simon Ekpa, separatist leader associated with the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has raised questions about his potential extradition to Nigeria. IPOB, a proscribed Nigerian separatist group, seeks to restore the dissolved Republic of Biafra, which sought to secede from the country in the late 1960s. Lawmakers from the across the aise may weigh in on this sensitive issue, debating whether Ekpa should face trial in Nigeria or Finland, where he was arrested.
Nullification of National Lottery Act
The Supreme Court of Nigeria, last Friday, nullified the National Lottery Act enacted in 2005 by the National Assembly. The apex court, held that the federal parliament lacked the power to legislate on issues related to lotteries and games of chance. According to the court, such powers reside exclusively with the Houses of Assembly of the states of the federation, which have jurisdiction over matters pertaining to lotteries. The Lottery Act, being an enactment of the National Assembly itself may receive attention from federal lawmakers this week.
EDITOR’S NOTE:
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