Plans for the National Assembly to resume plenary have once again been delayed, with the new date set for April 30th. This extension is necessary to allow for the completion of renovations in both main chambers.
Initially, the Senate and House of Representatives had planned to reconvene on April 23rd following the Easter and Eid recess. However, a recent announcement on Thursday indicated a further postponement of the plenary resumption.
The Clerk of the Senate, Chinedu Akubueze, issued a notice regarding the resumption delay, stating that lawmakers would return to the main chambers upon resumption.
Since September 2022, both Houses have been operating from temporary chambers due to ongoing renovation work on their main chambers by Visible Construction Company Nigeria Limited since July 2022.
The notice stated, “Distinguished Senators are hereby informed that the resumption of plenary, previously scheduled for Tuesday, April 23, 2024, has been further postponed to Tuesday, April 30, 2024, at 11 am.
“The plenary sitting will take place in the main Chamber of the Senate on this rescheduled date. We sincerely apologize for any inconveniences caused by this postponement to the Distinguished Senators,” the notice added.
Similarly, a statement from the Chairman of the House Committee on Media, Akin Rotimi, highlighted that the House would reconvene on April 30th to allow lawmakers to finalize the constitution review process.
Quoting a communication from the Clerk of the House of Representatives, Dr. Yahaya Danzaria, to Honourable Members, Rotimi explained that the extension was intended to provide more time for constituency outreach in gathering input for the constitution review process.
The statement mentioned, “The decision to extend the deadline for the submission of memoranda to April 30, 2024, was made by the House Committee on Constitution Review.
“Furthermore, the extended timeline will facilitate better preparation for upcoming legislative summits on State Police, Tax Reforms, Revenue Enhancement, and Digital Transformation within the next two weeks,” the statement continued.
“We apologize for any inconveniences caused by this rescheduling. Keeping in line with the Legislative Agenda of the 10th Assembly, the House is dedicated to being transparent and providing timely updates to all stakeholders,” it concluded.