Barely months after inauguration, several Senate committees are grinding to a halt as lawmakers raised the alarm over the lack of funds, warning that legislative oversight and budget implementation are now under serious threat.
The lawmakers voiced their frustration on Friday during a meeting between the Senate Committee on Appropriations and chairpersons of standing committees.
Anthony Ani, senator representing Ebonyi South, revealed that the Senate Committee on South East Development Commission has not received a single kobo since it was inaugurated.
“Mr Chairman, you have read out the timetable to be followed by the various committees for consideration of the 2026 budget, but the senate committee on South East Development Commission that I belong to does not have money to organise meetings with any agency due to zero allocation since formation and inauguration,” Ani said.
He added that committees overseeing other zonal development commissions are facing the same fate, raising questions about how they are expected to function.
Echoing the concern, Titus Zam, chairman of the Senate Committee on North Central Development Commission, warned that the optimism that greeted the creation of the commissions is fast evaporating.
“Lack of funding for the committees on zonal development commissions in the senate is gradually turning the excitement that heralded them into disappointment and even into lamentation,” Zam said.
The funding crisis also spilled into budget implementation issues, as Senate Deputy Minority Leader, Oyewunmi Olalere, cautioned that the promise of a single-budget regime is hanging by a thread.
“The promise on single budget implementation from April 1 this year is being threatened because parts of the capital component of the 2024 budget in terms of contract execution are not paid yet,” he said.
“Not to talk of the 30 percent capital component of the 2025 budget expected to expire by March 31.”
Olalere warned that only two months remain to settle outstanding obligations for the 2024 and 2025 budgets if the proposed April 1, 2026 single-budget implementation is to stand.
“Mr Chairman, a lot needs to be done between now and next month by your committee and critical stakeholders to prevent the continuation of multiple budget implementations,” he said.
Adding to the pressure, Francis Fadaunsi, senator representing Osun East, said unpaid contractors are still protesting over the unimplemented 2024 budget.
“2024 budget debt has not been paid,” he said.
“I concur with my colleague from our state on the yet to be fully implemented 2024 budget because the affected unpaid contractors are still carrying placards around.
“This committee must reach out to critical stakeholders for the required tidying up of the 2024 and 2025 budgets before April 1, 2026.”
In a calmer note, Adams Oshiomhole, senator representing Edo North, urged colleagues to wait for the full details of the N58.472 trillion 2026 budget.
The meeting was later moved into an executive session by Appropriations Committee chairman, Solomon Adeola, following Oshiomhole’s intervention.
The funding squeeze had earlier come to light during plenary, when Senate President Godswill Akpabio disclosed that the Oshiomhole-led ad hoc committee probing repeated train derailments has been unable to commence work due to lack of funds.
“But we will look for money for them to commence work immediately,” Akpabio said.
