The House of Representatives was engulfed in heated arguments on Wednesday following a motion over the alleged non-release of funds for constituency projects across the country.
The motion was sponsored by Alex Mascot, the lawmaker representing Aba North/Aba South Federal Constituency of Abia State, who urged the House of Representatives to invite President Bola Tinubu to explain the continued delay in funding constituency projects.
While presenting the motion, Mascot said the President should appear before lawmakers to clarify why massive sums were being spent on infrastructure while many Nigerians continued to suffer.
“Come and explain to us why we are spending trillions of naira drilling roads, doing constant roads, yet Nigerians are dying,” he said.
The motion received support from another lawmaker, who proposed an amendment calling for the House to suspend legislative activities for one week until the issue was addressed.
However, the proposal sparked sharp disagreements among members.
Lawmaker Yusuf Gagdi opposed the motion, arguing that there was no justification for summoning the President since the responsibility for implementing and funding constituency projects rests with the relevant government agencies.
He also rejected the suggestion to adjourn the House for one week, describing the proposal as unnecessary.
Gagdi’s counter-position was met with strong opposition from some lawmakers, resulting in a rowdy session as members shouted across the chamber and exchanged arguments.
As tensions escalated, Speaker of the House Tajudeen Abbas intervened, directing members to vote in order to determine the House’s position on the matter and restore order.
Constituency projects are annual interventions nominated by federal lawmakers and funded through the national budget to address development needs in their constituencies, including the construction of roads, schools, healthcare facilities, water projects and other public infrastructure. In recent years, lawmakers have repeatedly complained about delays in the release of funds and the slow implementation of approved projects, arguing that the situation has deprived many communities of critical development initiatives despite budgetary allocations.
The issue of constituency projects has remained a recurring source of tension between the National Assembly and the Executive over the years. While lawmakers argue that the projects are essential for delivering development directly to their constituents, critics have repeatedly questioned the transparency, implementation and accountability of the scheme, with concerns over abandoned projects and delays in fund releases.
