NASS Not Relying On MDAs For Funding, Says Senate Spokesman

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Chairman Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator
Surajudeen Ajibola Basiru, on Tuesday, denied that the National
Assembly is presently relying on Ministries, Departments and
Agencies (MDAs) of government to fund its activities due to cash
crunch.

Basiru told reporters in Abuja that the National Assembly is not
broke neither are lawmakers nor staff are being owed salaries.

He said: “The issue of cash crunch hitting the National Assembly
is the figment of the imagination of the writers.

“I have just returned from my constituency where I went to
supervise the projects that I facilitated and being implemented by
the executive arm of government.

“There is no senator that would say he or she cannot go to their
constituencies due to non-funding of their constituency
projects.

“The National Assembly as far as I am concerned is not owing its
staff salaries. The management is not also owing any lawmaker.

“It is totally wrong to say that the National Assembly is
relying on the ministries, departments and agencies to fund its
committee works. If that is even the case, that will even be
conflict of interest.

“I don’t know the intention behind that story but it is
concocted and a deliberate attempt to pitch the National Assembly
against the executive or to pitch the public against us that we are
not living up to our expectations.

“The National Assembly does not rely on the MDAs to fund our
activities. We have budget for our committees and oversight.

“Also, when there is specific need in terms of consultancy
services or special travels to do our jobs, the bureaucracy support
such assignment.

“It does not make sense to rely on the same MDAs we are
over-sighting for funding again.

The National Assembly has a first line charge.

“There is no senator or member of the House of Representatives
that can come out and say he or she had not been paid.”

Basiru also insisted that Senate would fulfill its mandatory 180
days of sitting this year despite some observed breaks.

He added: “We are in the 9th of March and we have a 12 month
calendar. There is nothing that says we won’t sit for 180 days.

“It is therefore irresponsible for anybody to insinuate that we
would not sit for 180 days.

“Those who are saying we won’t achieve the mandatory 180 days
are just creating unnecessary tension where there is none.

“Nobody can predict that we won’t sit for 180 days, it is too
early in the year to determine that. Despite last year’s lockdown,
we achieved our mandatory 180 days sitting.

“There was no circular that we have reduced sitting to once in a
week. We have been having sitting three times a week since the
beginning of this year at the Senate.

“We have also had sittings twice a week. There is a second wave
of COVID-19 pandemic. We are very brisk in our business these days.
When it was necessary, we had had occasions to sit on a Monday this
year.

“We adjourned today without holding plenary in line with our
parliamentary tradition to honour any of our deceased
colleagues.

“We met twice last week and attended to several bills, and
confirmation of appointment. There is no official position on the
number of days that we will be sitting per week.

“Sitting at plenary does not require money. It just requires
printing of order papers. We are not collecting sitting
allowances.

“There is no pecuniary financial requirements for us to sit. I
don’t see how finance can hinder our sitting.

“We are not collecting sitting allowance; we only collect
salaries at the end of the month. We are in March and all our
February salaries have been paid.

“The only thing we need during plenaries are printing of reports
and the Committee on Business and Rules which is being adequately
funded by the management is handling that.

“We are merely observing COVID-19 health and safety protocols
and we won’t do anything that would be hazardous to the health of
our members. We have never amended our rules to sit once per
week.”