Abbas’ Green Chamber: Productive House, Rubber Stamp Parliament

At 3 years, Speaker Tajudeen Abbas’ 10th House boasts record legislation and stability. Critics say it lacks teeth as executive requests sail through and oversight reports gather dust, writes JAMES KWEN

The 10th House of Representatives was inaugurated through a proclamation letter by President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday, 13 June 2023. On that fateful day, 353 out of 359 members present for the inauguration voted for the member representing Zaria federal constituency of Kaduna state, Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, as Speaker.

Also, the member representing Bende federal constituency of Abia State, Hon. Benjamin Kalu, had emerged Deputy Speaker of the 10th House unopposed.

Abbas, in his acceptance and inaugural speech, pledged that under his watch, the 10th House shall sustain and even surpass the gains of the 9th House.

He said the 10th House will introduce reforms and innovations to benefit Nigerians. He added that, in a matter of weeks, the Green Chamber will roll out its legislative agenda, which will shape its operations.

Consequently, the House later unveiled a comprehensive Legislative Agenda with eight key priority areas, including strengthening good governance, improving national security, law reform, and economic growth and development.

Others are social sector reform and development, inclusion and open parliament, influencing/directing Nigeria’s foreign policy, and climate change and environmental sustainability.

In line with its legislative agenda, the 10th House has received and processed about 1,500 bills, 1000 motions and 300 petitions, with several of them passed and even signed into law in the last three years.

Some of the important bills include: Electric Power Sector Reform Act (Amendment) Bill, 2023; Nigeria Hunters and Forest Security Service (Establishment) Bill, 2023; Federal Audit Service Bill, 2023; Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons Bill, 2023; Armed Forces Act (Amendment) Bill, 2023; National Assembly Library Trust Fund Act (Amendment) Bill, 2024 and Student Loans (Access to Higher Education) Act (Repeal and Enactment) Bill, 2024.

Others are: Mandatory Inclusion of Teachings on Breast and Cervical Cancers into the Curriculum of All Senior Secondary Schools in Nigeria Bill, 2023; Mandatory Inclusion of Preventive Measures and Teachings on Sexual Gender-Based Violence into the Curriculum of All Levels of Secondary Schools in Nigeria Bill, 2023; Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission Act (Repeal and Enactment) Bill, 2023 and National Anthem Bill, 2024.

Also passed are Appropriations Bills(Budgets), 2024, 205 and 2026, the four tax reform bills, namely – Nigeria Tax; Nigeria Tax Administration; Nigeria Revenue Service and Joint Revenue Board of Nigeria (Establishment), Electoral Act(amendment) bill, 2026 and the State Police Bill, 2026, while the remaining 43 prioritised Constitution alteration bills are awaiting voting and final passage.

Furthermore, the 10th House introduced sectoral debates and briefings to engage with heads of Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) to enable lawmakers interact with MDAs and gain a deeper understanding of the specific challenges faced by each sector which so far featured service chiefs and heads of security agencies, Central Bank, Finance and National Planning, Agriculture and Food Security and Customs.

The 10th House also fosters a harmonious and professional relationship with the executive for the efficient functioning of governance, political stability, effective legislation, and the overall health of Nigeria’s democratic system, promoting transparency, accountability, and good governance practices.

The Green Chamber also held the ‘House Open Weeks,’ which, according to Speaker Abbas, the 10th Assembly embraced the ‘OPEN NASS’ Project, which enhances not only oversight and law-making but also the transparency of the National Assembly itself.

Also, to strengthen public engagement and improve the legislative process, the House organised a National Dialogue on State Policing, a national discourse on Nigeria’s security challenges and good governance at the local government level, and a workshop for its security-based committees on non-kinetic strategies to combat insecurity and terrorism in Nigeria.

Last year, the House held special plenary sessions to deliberate on the state of national security, with a view to identifying the causes and effects and to proffering solutions to be conveyed via resolutions to the executive.

As part of the resolutions from the sessions, the House called for the establishment of a Special Court for terrorism, banditry and kidnapping; expansion of a Multi-Agency Anti-Kidnap Fusion Cell, as well as open, expeditious and transparent prosecutions of terrorism-related cases, among others.

Furthermore, members of the House donated 50% of their monthly salaries of N600,000 for six months, amounting to N704.98 million, and handed them over to President Tinubu for disbursement to suffering poor Nigerians.

The House also conducted a series of probes during the period under review. Some of the notable ones included: investigation into the rising insecurity in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) despite the installation of a $460 million CCTV system funded through a Chinese loan; the status and whereabouts of the funds recovered from the National Social Investment Programme Agency (NSIPA) estimated at over N30 billion from 2024–2025 and over $1.8 billion and $2.8 billion grants received by Nigeria from the Global Fund and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) for the fight against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, as well as for strengthening health systems from 2021-2025.

Others were investigation into the management of N12 trillion injected into Nigeria’s Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) in the past seven years; non-remittance of over N5 trillion operating surplus and N11 trillion government revenue by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the implementation of the $696 million (N1.06trillion) Nigeria Community Action for Resilience and Economic Stimulus (NG-CARES) social intervention programme of the federal government.

Interestingly, one area considered the most undoing of the 10th House is the issue of endless probes, as the outcomes are seldom known.

Notably, at the beginning of the 10th Assembly, the House launched an investigation into job racketeering in MDAs, opening cans of worms.

During the investigation, commissioners of the Federal Character Commission (FCC) made damning allegations against the commission’s chairman, Dr Muheeba Dankaka, who equally threw the garbage at them.

One of the commissioners alleged that,” she (Dankaka)) Do collect 10% from all MDAs of all the employment she is signing. All those 10% she collects are the slots she employs agents to sell.

Equally, the House embarked on an investigation into the importation of adulterated petroleum products, the non-availability of crude oil for domestic refineries, and other critical energy security issues, but midway dissolved the ad hoc Joint Downstream and Midstream Committee saddled with the responsibility and reconstituted another committee.

LEADERSHIP Weekend checks revealed that most of these probes, conducted by standing, ad hoc, or special committees, are still pending.

There is also a perceived rubber-stamping posture of the House under Abbas, as it tends to expedite the granting of executive requests, such as borrowing.

This year alone, the House approved the request of President Bola Tinubu for a $516.3 million syndicated loan to finance key sections of the Sokoto–Badagry Superhighway project and a $6 billion external borrowing request.

The entire National Assembly, including the House of Representatives, had come under attack for such approvals.

In one instance, a former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, faulted the National Assembly for approving President Tinubu’s request to obtain two new foreign loans totalling $6 billion from the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom.

Atiku, in a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, said the development showed that the National Assembly, which ought to serve as the voice of Nigerians, had been reduced to a rubber stamp for the presidency.

Due to this posturing, most of the proposals or resolutions from the House of Representatives are not always considered by the executive, while ministers and heads of MDAs shun invitations from the legislature, making the institution, which is constitutionally empowered to hold them to account, a toothless bulldog barking without biting.

Instances abound of the House summoning and threatening to issue warrants of arrest against ministers and heads of parastatals, but they may not respond, and nothing happens.

Last year, the House of Representatives Committee on Nutrition and Food Security threatened to issue a bench warrant of arrest on the Managing Director of the Bank of Agriculture (BOA), Ayo Sontinrin, and the Director-General of the Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria (ARCN), Dr Abubakar Adamu Dabban, for shunning its meetings. The outcome of such threats remains unknown.

Stakeholders have offered their own assessment of the 10th House under Abbas as it clocked three years on Saturday.

The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) said its assessment would be mixed, recognising notable legislative and institutional reforms while expressing concern about accountability, oversight, independence, transparency, and responsiveness to citizens’ concerns.

The Executive Director, CISLAC/Head of Transparency International Nigeria, Auwal Ibrahim Musa-Rafsanjani, in an interview with LEADERSHIP Weekend, said the 10th House introduced an ambitious Legislative Agenda focusing on constitutional reform, governance, security, economic growth, social development, and institutional strengthening.

He also said the House has processed a significant number of bills and motions, including constitutional amendment proposals, electoral reforms, discussions on local government autonomy, and economic legislation.

Compared to previous assemblies, the House has demonstrated greater committee activity and engagement with civil society, professional groups, and development partners on policy issues. Public hearings on critical national matters have also increased.

“The House has devoted considerable attention to constitutional review, with numerous amendment bills under consideration on issues such as devolution of powers, local government autonomy, electoral reforms, and institutional restructuring.

“The House has regularly debated insecurity, budget implementation, poverty reduction, and economic hardship. It has also undertaken investigative hearings on several public sector issues,” he said.

Rafsanjani, however, expressed concern over weak oversight of the executive, saying: “One of the major concerns is that the House has not always exercised sufficiently robust oversight over the Executive. At a time of severe economic hardship, inflation, insecurity, and rising public debt, Nigerians expected stronger legislative scrutiny of government policies and expenditure.

“CISLAC would argue that the National Assembly’s constitutional role is not merely to support government policies but to provide independent oversight and ensure accountability,” he said.

Rafsanjani equally lamented the impact of investigations, noting that: “Several investigative hearings have generated public attention, but many recommendations have not translated into sanctions, prosecutions, policy reforms, or recovery of public resources. This weakens public confidence in parliamentary oversight.

“Questions remain regarding transparency in constituency projects, budget insertions, committee expenditures, and lawmakers’ allowances. Greater openness is needed to strengthen public trust in the institution.

Despite legislative activity, many Nigerians continue to experience worsening economic conditions, insecurity, unemployment, and declining living standards. While not all these issues are directly within the House’s control, citizens often judge parliament by its ability to influence policies that improve governance outcomes.

“There is a growing perception among sections of civil society that the House has not consistently demonstrated sufficient independence from the Executive on contentious national issues. An effective parliament must be willing to challenge government actions when necessary in the public interest.

“CISLAC would likely rate the performance of the Abbas-led House as moderately satisfactory but below the expectations associated with its ambitious legislative agenda,” he added.

Rafsanjani maintained that while the House deserves credit for legislative productivity, constitutional reform efforts, increased stakeholder engagement, and effective institutional stability, it still needs to improve: “executive oversight; transparency and accountability; follow-through on investigations; protection of democratic principles; and responsiveness to citizens’ welfare concerns.”

He recommended that, as the House enters its final year before the 2027 elections, it should prioritise stronger oversight of public expenditure and debt management; electoral and constitutional reforms that enhance democratic accountability; and greater transparency in legislative operations and constituency projects.

Rafsanjani also called for more vigorous action against corruption, stronger public sector accountability, and citizen- centred legislation addressing poverty, insecurity, and unemployment…

Similarly, the executive director of CREAP Africa, Sylvanus Udoenoh, said the House under the Speakership of Abbas presents a mixed picture of notable legislative activism, active constituency representation, and lingering concerns about the effectiveness of oversight and institutional independence.

He said, by most measures, the 10th House has been one of the most productive in recent history, with legislative output measured by the volume of bills introduced and passed since 2023.

Several significant pieces of legislation relating to tax reforms, local government autonomy, electoral matters, student loans, and constitutional amendments have been passed or are at various stages of consideration.

“The House has also demonstrated responsiveness to emerging national concerns through numerous motions on insecurity, economic hardship, flooding, education, and social welfare,” he said.

Udoenoh, however, noted that the scorecard is less impressive, largely because a major concern of the ordinary citizen is the effective execution of these laws and policies, which the legislature plays a major role in through oversight functions.

“Although the House has initiated several investigative hearings and probes into matters of public interest, including revenue leakages, subsidy implementation, financial mismanagement by MDAs, and the activities of regulatory agencies, many Nigerians are yet to see concrete outcomes from these exercises.

“A recurring criticism of the National Assembly generally, and the House in particular, is that high-profile probes often generate headlines but rarely culminate in publicly available reports, sanctions, recoveries, or systemic reforms. Effective oversight is measured not by the number of hearings held but by the quality of accountability outcomes delivered.

“Yes, the House deserves credit for sustaining a relatively vibrant motion culture. Members have consistently brought forward people-oriented motions addressing inflation, insecurity, youth unemployment, infrastructure deficits, education, healthcare, and humanitarian crises. Yet, politics and drama have also shaped the life of the 10th House.

“From debates over constituency projects and allegations of budget padding to controversies surrounding the proposed increase in lawmakers’ allowances, the Tax Reform Bills, the State of Emergency in Rivers State, and the gale of defections from opposition parties to the ruling APC, the House has often found itself navigating the delicate balance between legislative independence and perceived alignment with the Executive.

Critics argue that on several contentious national issues, the House has not always exercised the level of scrutiny expected of a coequal arm of government. This is an important point, and I wish they would note it.

“Overall, Speaker Abbas Tajudeen’s House has proved energetic and relatively stable, avoiding the leadership crises that plagued some previous assemblies. However, history will judge the 10th House not merely by the number of bills passed or motions adopted, but by the extent to which it strengthened democratic accountability, defended institutional independence, and improved the welfare of ordinary Nigerians.”

“As the House enters its final year before the 2027 elections begin to dominate the political landscape, there is an urgent need for lawmakers to prioritise effective oversight, ensure the implementation of legislative decisions, and resist the temptation to abandon governance for partisan politics and re-election campaigns,” he added.

Nonetheless, the House’s deputy spokesperson, Hon. Philip Agbese (LP, Benue), has been upbeat in defending the House under Abbas, saying his leadership style has put the Green Chamber on the right track.

According to Agbese, the entire 360 members of the legislative chamber are united under the leadership of its Speaker, Abbas.

He stated that the House remained united and had been working hard, even during recesses, to make Nigeria a great place for all citizens.

Agbese said the speaker has done everything to justify the confidence of all the members, noting that, “Abbas has demonstrated the revolutionary spirit of a true Nigerian patriot from all indications.

“The confidence of members in Rt. Hon. Abbas Tajudeen is not negotiable and unwavering. Since his emergence, Mr Speaker has demonstrated outstanding qualities of leadership, fairness, and deep respect for colleagues across party lines.”