lawmakers persuade president, NASS leadership to join appropriations committee

A few members of the House of Representatives are allegedly attempting to gain admittance into the Green Chamber’s Appropriations Committee by lobbying the National Assembly’s leadership and influential figures in the White House.

It has come to light that the committee’s membership has grown over the past few weeks, allegedly in violation of House rules and upsetting members of the lower house.

It was discovered that there were 57 members on the Appropriations Committee, instead of the 40 that house rules allowed.

The House’s Standing Committee on Appropriations has admitted some chairmen and deputies as members, according to Leadership.

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Newspaper reports that the lawmakers became members of the committee
The publication claimed that the legislators joined the committee because of the lucrative prospects that come with being a member, particularly in terms of financial benefits and the chance to smuggle projects into the budget for financial advantage.

But members of the committee on appropriations cannot be chairs or deputies of other standing committees due to House Rules.

It was learned that the chairs of two additional standing committees had already been appointed, and that the states of Edo and Akwa-Ibom each have three members.

Despite the fact that Ebonyi has two members on the committee—a violation of House rules—the report stated that some states have multiple members on the committee.

According to the guidelines, the approval committee is meant to consist of.
As per the regulations, the approval committee should consist of a chairman, members from every state and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), and other individuals appointed during the state caucus meetings.

With ten members in the House of Representatives, it is understood that the committee was established by the standing orders of both houses of the National Assembly.

In addition to hearings on the budget as a whole, the committee has the authority to appropriate funds for the implementation of government programs and projects.

Leadership was informed by a source in the green room that members have viewed and used the Appropriations Committee as a lifeline for significant personal enrichment.

The source said: “There are about 57 members in the Appropriation Committee of the House now, and with the emergence of some chairmen and deputies of other committees forcing their way into the committee contravenes the standing rules of the house. More members are still lobbying to come into the appropriation. With the prevailing trend, membership of the committee may go above 100.

“The attraction is obvious. It’s a lifeline of the NASS as members have the opportunity to make extra funds