• Akpabio, senators admit lawmakers lack full knowledge of National Assembly finances
•As tender board proposal withdrawn
Sunday Aborisade in Abuja
The Senate on Thursday shelved a proposal to establish an Internal Tender Board for the National Assembly after lawmakers, led by Senate President Godswill Akpabio, declared that the legislature must first open up its own budget and financial management to greater scrutiny before embarking on procurement reforms.
The dramatic withdrawal of the motion laid bare growing unease within the upper chamber over the opacity surrounding the National Assembly’s finances, with several senators openly admitting that lawmakers themselves were largely unaware of how the institution’s budget was prepared and implemented.
