A new report by the Erudite Growth and Advancement Foundation (ERGAF-Africa) has revealed that 48 members of the House of Representatives and five senators failed to make any contributions during plenary in the first year of the 10th National Assembly.
The report, titled “Deliberative Barometer and Policy-Focus Productivity Report (NASS-DBPFR),” tracked legislative performance between June 14, 2023, and June 13, 2024, assessing lawmakers’ activities in sponsoring bills, moving motions or petitions, and participating in debates.
According to the findings released on Thursday, the Senate recorded 2,275 plenary activities within the period, with debates accounting for 663 entries — 29.1 percent of the chamber’s overall performance. In comparison, the House of Representatives logged 4,239 activities, of which 507 — representing 11.9 percent — were debates.
The report noted that bills introduced for first reading comprised 15.5 percent of Senate activities and 21 percent of those in the House.
A sectoral breakdown showed that economic issues dominated discussions in the Senate (18.5 percent), followed by security (13.7 percent) and education (10.9 percent). The House, however, devoted more attention to security (16.9 percent), then the economy (13.7 percent) and education (10.4 percent).
In terms of individual performance, Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin topped debate interventions in the upper chamber with 38 contributions, while House Majority Leader Julius Ihonvbere led his chamber with 26. Senate Leader Michael Opeyemi filed the highest number of substantive motions (10) in the Senate, while Ihonvbere also ranked highest in the House with 12.
For petitions, Senator Ngwu Osita submitted the most in the Senate with three, while Okey Onuakalusi of Oshodi-Isolo Federal Constituency in Lagos led the House with 14. On points of order, Opeyemi and Senator Ali Ndume of Borno South each recorded six in the Senate, while Ahmed Jaha of Borno topped the House with six.
Among lawmakers who recorded no plenary contributions during the year were Abubakar Baba Zango (Yola North/Yola South/Girei, Adamawa), Mohammed Inuwa Bassi (Ganye/Jada/Mayo-Belwa/Toungo, Adamawa), Nnabufie Chiwe Clara (Orumba North/Orumba South, Anambra), Abdulkadir Rahis (Maiduguri Metropolitan, Borno), Stainless Chijioke Nwodo (Aninri/Awgu/Oji River, Enugu), and Yaya Bauchi Tongo (Gombe/Kwami/Funakaye, Gombe).
The full report is available for download online.
