Nigerian Senate resumes plenary, inaugurates committees

The Senate is back in session after a seven-week recess, and they have a lot on their plate. Among the items on the agenda are the presentation of the 2024 budget, the inauguration of committees, confirmation of appointments, addressing concerns over committee assignments, and the consideration and possible approval of the 2023 – 2025 Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and Fiscal Strategy Paper (FSP).

During the recess, the Senate screened 48 ministerial nominees nominated by President Bola Tinubu and confirmed 45 appointments. They also announced the Chairmen and Vice-Chairmen of the standing committees. Senate President Godswill Akpabio’s first tasks will include reading communications from President Tinubu, inaugurating the 74 Standing Committees announced last month, and confirming recent appointments made by the President.

The Senate has 74 standing committees, with the chairmanship positions for 48 assigned to Senators elected under the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), while Senators from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and five other minority parties share the remaining 26 committees. Among the 26 committees allocated to minority parties, 18 are distributed as follows: PDP (4), Labour Party (LP) (2), Social Democratic Party (SDP) (1), Young Progressives Party (YPP) (1), and All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) (1).

Recent appointments made by President Tinubu, including two ministerial nominees for the Ministry of Youth Development and the newly appointed Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Mr. Olayemi Cardoso, along with four newly appointed CBN Deputy Governors, will also be confirmed.

The Senate will also consider and potentially approve the 2023 – 2025 Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and Fiscal Strategy Paper (FSP). These documents are expected to be transmitted to the Senate by the President ahead of the presentation of the 2024 budget proposals next month. Discussions and potential adjustments to the composition of the committees may also take place, as some members have expressed dissatisfaction with their assignments.