Senate President, Bukola Saraki has confirmed that the senate has set up an ad hoc committee to review the budget of the National Assembly following calls by the public that the National Assembly’s budget is astronomical.
“Senate will be setting up an ad hoc committee to reappraise the structure of the National Assembly budget and make it more open. #OpenNass,” he wrote on his official Twitter account.
It would be recalled that there was a backlash against the NASS on social media platform, Twitter, following rumours that the wardrobe allowance for each lawmaker was put at N9bn over four years.
In a bid to have a transparent National Assembly, Saraki, has set up a committee that will make available to the public the allowances of the lawmakers in the Red and Green chambers.
“Three issues we must urgently address. Falling revenue and fiscal crises in states, unsustainable cost of governance and rising cost of doing business.”
“The task before us is enormous but very clear. Nigerians voted for change. They expect that we improve the quality of governance. It is at times like these that our nation must buckle up, face realities of our predicaments and forge ahead to ensure a brighter future,” he said.
He added that: “Eight-man Senate ad hoc committee comprising of three Senators from each geopolitical zone to immediately draw up a Legislative Agenda for 8th Senate.
“The expected draft agenda, will have input of all Senators and will give the 8th Senate focus and cohesion in pursuing our set targets.”
“I believe we can all make this nation Nigeria great again, but it all starts now if we all can believe,” he wrote.