The Role of President Bola Tinubu in Resolving National Assembly Disputes
The Deputy Spokesperson of the House of Representatives, Hon. Philip Agbese, highlighted the crucial role played by President Bola Tinubu in preventing a potential crisis within the National Assembly. This came after recent tensions over the delayed release of funds for 2024 and 2025 capital projects, which had caused significant unrest among lawmakers and indigenous contractors.
A Challenging Period for the House of Representatives
Agbese described the past few days as “challenging but instructive.” He noted that the leadership of the House, under Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, took decisive steps to address the grievances of lawmakers, ultimately restoring calm. The growing agitation among members was primarily due to the non-release of funds for 2024 capital projects and delays in starting funding for the 2025 budget, just two months before the end of the fiscal year.
According to Agbese, the frustration expressed by some colleagues was genuine. Many projects across the country, especially constituency projects, were stalled due to the lack of funding. This also affected indigenous contractors who had executed 2024 capital projects but were yet to be paid.
Protests by Indigenous Contractors
Tension escalated last week when hundreds of indigenous contractors, under the All Indigenous Contractors Association of Nigeria (AICAN), staged a protest at the National Assembly. They blocked the main entrance and prevented vehicular access to the complex. Agbese explained that this protest was an unfortunate reflection of the economic pressure these contractors were under. Some lamented that the non-payment had forced them to sell their properties or shut down their businesses.
The House took these grievances seriously and immediately engaged the Executive to resolve the matter. The Speaker and other principal officers quickly reached out to the Presidency to prevent the situation from escalating further.
President Tinubu’s Decisive Intervention
The intervention of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu was decisive. He directed the Minister of Finance, Wale Edun, and the Accountant-General of the Federation, Shamseldeen Ogunjimi, to commence immediate payment to contractors. Agbese confirmed that some of these payments are already being made. This singular action by the President helped douse rising tempers and restore normalcy within the House.
Agbese commended the leadership of the House, under Speaker Abbas, for handling the matter with maturity and wisdom. He emphasized that both lawmakers’ and contractors’ concerns were addressed without confrontation. He added that members have absolute confidence in Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, describing him as a truthful and patriotic leader who believes in dialogue, not division.
Addressing the Delay in Budget Implementation
While acknowledging the importance of the President’s intervention, Agbese clarified that the delay in budget implementation was not the fault of the Tinubu administration. He attributed it to the burden of carrying over obligations from previous fiscal years. The administration inherited uncompleted projects and past budget obligations that needed to be implemented at all costs.
Agbese emphasized that the delay cannot be attributed to President Tinubu. On the contrary, his swift response demonstrated his commitment to good governance and fiscal responsibility.
Calls for Faster Implementation
During a closed-door session on Wednesday, members of the House called on the Federal Government to ensure full implementation of the outstanding 2024 and 2025 projects without further delay. The lawmakers, while expressing concerns over poor funding of the national budgets, demanded full implementation of the capital component of the 2024 Appropriation Act.
They also expressed displeasure over the protest by indigenous contractors who blocked the main entrance of the National Assembly complex in Abuja, obstructing movement into the parliament building.
The lawmakers urged the Executive to ensure prompt commencement of the 2025 capital budget implementation to avoid project delays and stalled development initiatives.
Suspension and Resumption of Sittings
The House had, last Tuesday, resolved to suspend sittings for seven days over issues bordering on non-payment of contractors and delays in funding capital projects, especially constituency projects — a situation that had affected their constituents.
However, the House later rescinded its decision and resumed sitting following what it described as positive developments and encouraging feedback from the government.