Lawmakers Demand Emergency Session Over N8.83tn Spending
A cross-party coalition of lawmakers wants Nigeria’s parliament recalled immediately to address an alleged ₦8.83 trillion off-budget spend. The group, calling itself the Save Nigeria Group, sent its demand directly to Senate President Godswill Akpabio and House Speaker Tajudeen Abbas. Official silence on such massive unauthorised spending threatens to gut democratic accountability entirely. Federal coffers leak while key public institutions starve. Money flows out without any legislative oversight.
Three federal legislators signed the joint statement on behalf of their concerned colleagues. Awaji-Inombek Abiante of Rivers State led the bipartisan push alongside Katsina representative Abubakar Kusada and Kebbi lawmaker Mansur Jega. They insist their group operates outside standard party loyalty or factional interests. Instead, they fear that state agencies now routinely ignore constitutional limits. The rule of law suffers when executive discretion overrides statutory checks.
Chronic failure to implement federal budgets cripples public services across the country. Capital allocations for consecutive spending plans remain largely on paper rather than in field projects. Government departments routinely receive fractions of their promised funds. The treasury delays cash releases even as extra-budgetary commitments multiply behind closed doors. Public trust erodes when federal budgets fail.
Security agencies suffer acutely from this chronic financial neglect. Capital funds intended for equipment and frontline operations fail to reach command units. Soldiers and police officers face armed bands with inadequate supplies and depleted stocks. Worsening insecurity across key regions exposes the human cost of delayed funds. Parliament must track where military funds go.
The dispute over state policing adds another layer of friction to the legislative crisis. Lawmakers urge immediate resolution of constitutional amendments regarding local law enforcement. Debates over control and funding have stalled critical reforms for months. Centralised policing fails to curb daily violent crime across rural districts. Decentralisation requires clear rules that lawmakers must agree upon quickly.
Nigeria faces a choice between discipline and decay. Allowing trillions in off-budget spending undermines any serious economic reform plan. Akpabio and Abbas must decide whether to reconvene lawmakers or risk deeper public anger. Democratic governance cannot survive when legislators surrender power over the purse. Silence from the leadership will only confirm the worst fears of voters.