The House of Representatives has lamented that the National Assembly lacks adequate funds to discharge its duties.

Speaking at a media conference on Thursday, the Chairman of the House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Benjamin Kalu, suggested that the lawmakers should review the National Assembly budget, Punch reported.

Mr. Kalu said, “Yes, the House is broke. I have said it before, and I am saying it again, and I am not afraid to say it. The House is broke, and it is afraid to appropriate the sufficient amount for them to do their job. The House is broke and is afraid of your complaints as Nigerians to make provision for what will make them run the activities of the House effectively.

“That is why today, here is hot; that is why the hearing rooms are not fixed; that is why the House is indebted to contractors who provide one form of service or the other. This is the fact.”

In 2018, the National Assembly had a budget of N139.5 billion, N125 billion in 2019 and N128 billion (N125 billion proposed, N3 billion added) in 2020, though N125 billion was proposed in the 2021 budget, the National Assembly and its affiliates got about N134 billion.

Stating that the purchasing power of the budget is now weak compared to a few years ago, Mr. Kalu added, “Until Nigerians believe that the appropriation that was made for the running of the National Assembly, which happened when it was N160 to the dollar, is less now than what it used to be. The dollar has gone up to over N400.”

Continuing, he noted, “The budget of the National Assembly is supposed to be reviewed, in view of its purchasing ability, of the services,” asserting that it will help the parliament to move forward, as “it is a weak budget and that is the truth.”

The lawmaker added, “I have actually fought with the leadership of the House, and I have asked the question, ‘Why are you afraid to raise the budget of the National Assembly that will enable us to conduct our services efficiently and effectively?’

“We appropriate for agencies to run effectively, yet we are in penury to our own constitutional mandate. It is a disservice to Nigerians; the poor budget of the parliament is a disservice to Nigerians.”

According to him, their counterparts in other countries perform better because they are well funded, making them perform better, just as he questioned the affordability in Nigeria.

Mr. Kalu said, “So if you ask me 20 times whether the National Assembly is broke until they improve the budget of the National Assembly, I will say, ‘Yes, we are broke.'”

Mr. Kalu had in February claimed that Nigerians mounted pressure on lawmakers for financial assistance.