Cut, represent NASS budget, SERAP tells Akpabio, Tajudeen

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project has urged the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, and Speaker of the House of Rep-resentatives, Tajudeen Abbas, to reduce the National Assembly budget of N344.85 billion to reflect the current economic realities in the country.
SERAP advised the two leaders to call President Bola Tinubu and pre-sent a fresh supplementary appropriation bill, which “reflects the re-duced National Assembly budget for the approval of the National As-sembly.”
SERAP also urged them “to promptly publish details of the National Assembly budget of N344.85bn, including the proposed spending de-tails of the N3 billion for the Senate Car Park and N3 billion budgeted for the House of Representatives Car Park.”
In the letter dated 13 January 2024 and signed by SERAP Deputy Di-rector Kolawole Oluwadare, the organisation said, “Passing appropria-tion bills that are inconsistent with the provisions of the Nigerian Con-stitution is a fundamental breach of the constitutional oath of office by the lawmakers.”
The letter reads in part, “The increase in the National Assembly budget raised serious questions in the minds of the Nigerian people about how the lawmakers are spending their commonwealth.
“The National Assembly ought to be more responsible to the public in-terest and more responsive to it. The National Assembly has a consti-tutional responsibility to combat waste and abuse in its own spending if it is to effectively exercise its oversight functions and hold the gov-ernment to account.”
“Transparency and accountability in public administration is an essen-tial element of democracy. Transparency in the spending of the Na-tional Assembly budget would give the public a tool to hold the law-makers accountable.
“It would also protect Nigerians from any potential abuses of govern-mental or legislative power that may exist.
“Nigerians have a right to scrutinize how their lawmakers spend their tax money and commonwealth, especially given the precarious eco-nomic realities in the country and the impact of the removal of fuel subsidy on vulnerable Nigerians.
“Cutting the N344.48 billion National Assembly budget would be en-tirely consistent with your constitutional oath of office, and the letter and spirit of the Nigerian Constitution.
“Cutting your budget would promote efficient, honest, and legal spending of public money. It would serve the public interest and re-store public confidence in the National Assembly.”