2019 budget, PIGB other critical bills suffer as NASS staff paralyse legislative activities 

Also, deliberations on the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and Fiscal Strategy Paper (FSP) which lawmakers have scheduled to commence this week will no longer hold due to the industrial action.

The workers under the aegis of Parliamentary Staff Association of Nigeria (PASAN) on Monday protested over unpaid salaries, allowances and promotion arrears.

The staff who barricaded major entrances leading to the National Assembly Complex in Abuja as early as 6:30am prevented legislative aides, workers, bankers and reporters from entering the building.

With Christmas holidays coming up next week, legislators were billed to adjourn this week to January 2019 after presentation of the 2019 budget to them by President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday, December 19, 2018.

If the strike lingers, it could affect President Buhari’s presentation of the N8.73 trillion 2019 budget to both chambers of the National Assembly.

The President had last week written to both chambers of the National Assembly that he would lay the Appropriation Bill before the federal lawmakers Wednesday, December 19.

Except concrete steps are taken to put an end to the strike in the next few hours, Wednesday budget presentation may not hold as scheduled.

This is because members of the Association, who are also part of the National Assembly burreacracy that carrying out the day-to-day activities at the Complex and ensure smooth running of the Legislature, also joined their colleagues in the strike.

Consequently, this will make it almost impossible to print Order Paper, which contains the legislative business of each sitting.

“We have just warned the Clerk of the House of Representatives who came to work today (Monday), to sit at home from tomorrow (Tuesday). This is a total strike. The President will not present the budget until we receive alert”, a staff of the National Assembly, who works in the Printing Section and spoke on condition of anonymity, told BusinessDay.

The strike would also delay the approval of the 2019 to 2021 Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) / Fiscal Strategy Paper (FSP), which would have been worked on by the Senate and House of Representatives Commitees on Appropriations, Finance and National Planning any moment from now. The MTEF and FSP provide the framework for the budget.

Also, activities of the committees would be paralysed, no thanks to the strike, as PASAN members carry out burreacratic functions for the respective committees.

President Buhari had on November 6, 2018 transmitted the 2019-2021 MTEF/FSP to the National Assembly for consideration and approval.

Last week, the Technical Committee on Declined Assent to Bills by President Buhari laid its report to Senate for consideration and approval.

The shut down also means that the report of the David Umaru-led panel would be adversely affected, as there would be no legislative session to consider the report.

It would be recalled that on September 10, 2018, Senate President Bukola Saraki had announced the setting up of a technical committee to review 14 critical bills rejected by President Buhari.

Some of the bills include: the Petroleum Industry Governance Bill (PIGB), Stamp Duties (Amendment) Bill, Industrial Development (Income Tax Relief) (Amendment) Bill, National Research and Innovation Council (Est.) Bill, National Institute of Hospitality and Tourism (Est.) Bill and National Agricultural Seeds Council Bill.

Others are Chattered Institute of Entrepreneurship (Est.) Bill, Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, Advance Fee Fraud and Other Related Offences (Amendment) Bill, Subsidiary Legislation (Legislative Scrutiny) Bill, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (Amendment) Bill as well as five constitution amendment bills.

In like manner, the strike would also affect the investigations currently being carried out by some Senate committees. The committees include that of Gas probing the withdrawal of $1.15 billion from the dividend accounts of the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) by the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

Although the Corporation had last week denied illegal withdrawal from the account, Chairman of the Committee had ordered the state-owned oil firm to submit approving documents for all the withdrawals by Tuesday, December 18.

However, this may not hold due to the ongoing strike.

Others committees that slated investigative hearing and interactive sessions for Monday and Tuesday have also called them off.

They include: Committees on Banking, Insurance and other Financial Institutions; Primary Healthcare and Communicable Diseases as well as Water Resources.