National Assembly requires adequate funding- Saraki

Senate President, Bukola Saraki on Thursday said the National Assembly requires adequate funding in carrying out its statutory functions.

Saraki said this when he paid a working visit to the chairman and members of the National Assembly Service Commission (NASC) at their temporary office located, in Utako, Abuja.

Reacting to a request from Chairman of the Commission,  Adamu Fika, to have a permanent office inside the National Assembly complex, Saraki said: “One of the things that I see here today is the issue of budgetary constraints.”

“However, the impression around the country is often that the National Assembly has too much money. But we have seen the challenges of the last few years.

“As we work through the number of bills passed, the public hearings held, and the number of ad-hoc committees that have been established, we know the challenges of not being able to fund some of our activities.

“So far, I am happy to report that despite these constraints, the 8th Senate has been able to surpass all previous Senates in the number of Bills that we have passed in 2 years despite the funding gaps.

“We know that as we continue over time, people will begin to have more confidence in the National Assembly. However, right now, the challenges that we have are the issue of perception, and the issue of funding. We need to work hard to change this”, Sun quoted him as saying.