By Luminous Jannamike

The National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies, NILDS, has said majority of legislative oversight efforts were systematically rendered ineffective due to funding challenges.

According to NILDS, when the agencies that are supposed to be subjected to oversight are the ones providing funding for the oversight processes, the entire system collapses, making the oversight ineffective from the start.

Therefore, NILDS has called for increased funding for the National Assembly, NASS, to enhance the effectiveness of budget implementation monitoring by the executive arm of  government.

NILDS Director-General, Prof. Abubakar Sulaiman, who stated this while addressing the challenges faced by the NASS standing committees in executing their oversight duties, said:

“Proper funding will ensure standing committees of the NASS carry out their assignments without fear or favour,” said Prof. Sulaiman during a meeting with the leadership of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ-FCT Correspondents Chapel in Abuja weekend.

He highlighted the issues arising from oversight assignments, stressing that these would remain unresolved unless more funding was provided.

Sulaiman expressed concerns about the current budget allocation for oversight tasks. When discussing the oversight of large organizations such as the Nigerian Port Authority, NPA, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company, NNPC, he said, “we are just deceiving ourselves” if a budget of N3 million is designed to oversee agencies that remit trillions.”