SENATORS WARN OF COMMITTEE PARALYSIS OVER FUNDING DELAYS

Some senators on Friday expressed concern over the continued lack of funding for Senate standing committees, warning that the situation is already undermining committee work and effective budget implementation.

The concerns were raised during a meeting between the Senate Committee on Appropriations and chairpersons of various standing committees ahead of consideration of the 2026 budget.

Senator Anthony Ani, who represents Ebonyi South, said the Senate Committee on the South East Development Commission had not received any allocation since its formation and inauguration.

“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 other Senate committees overseeing zonal development commissions were also yet to receive funding, questioning how they were expected to function effectively without financial support.

Supporting the complaint, Chairman of the Senate Committee on North Central Development Commission, Senator Titus Zam, warned that the excitement which greeted the creation of the commissions was fast giving way to frustration.“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.

On budget implementation, Senate Deputy Minority Leader, Senator Oyewunmi Olalere, urged the Solomon Adeola-led Appropriations Committee to ensure that revenue-generating agencies meet their obligations to prevent delays in budget execution.

“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,” Olalere said.

He noted that the 30 per cent capital component of the 2025 budget was expected to expire by March 31, leaving limited time to clear outstanding obligations.“Only two months remain to clear outstanding obligations for the 2024 and 2025 budgets to allow the proposed single budget implementation from April 1, 2026,” he added.

Also contributing, Senator Francis Fadaunsi, representing Osun East, said the 2024 budget had not been fully implemented, noting that unpaid contractors were still protesting.“2024 budget debt has not been paid,” Fadaunsi said. “I concur with my colleague on the yet-to-be fully implemented 2024 budget because the affected unpaid contractors are still carrying placards around.

”He urged the Appropriations Committee to engage critical stakeholders to resolve outstanding issues related to the 2024 and 2025 budgets before April 1, 2026.

However, Senator Adams Oshiomhole, representing Edo North, advised his colleagues to exercise patience until the full details of the proposed N58.472 trillion 2026 budget are made available.

Following Oshiomhole’s intervention, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, Senator Solomon Adeola, called for an executive session and requested journalists to excuse the meeting.

Meanwhile, during plenary on Thursday, Senate President Godswill Akpabio disclosed that the ad hoc committee chaired by Senator Oshiomhole to investigate the persistent derailment of Nigeria’s trains had yet to commence work due to insufficient funds.

“But we will look for money for them to commence work immediately,” Akpabio said.