Speaker Abbas to re-introduce Constituency Development Fund Bill

 targets utilisation and accountability of funds designated for constituency projects

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Abbas Tajudeen PhD, has stated his intention to introduce a revised version of the Constituency Development Fund Bill.

The aim, he notes, is to provide a framework for the management, disbursement, utilisation and accountability of funds designated for constituency projects.

Speaker Abbas disclosed this on Wednesday, during his commissioning of landmark Constituency Projects in Surulere 1 Federal Constituency Lagos facilitated by Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila; Speaker of the 9th House of Representatives and current Chief of Staff to the President.

A Bill to Provide for Constituency and Other Special Projects in the Annual Budget of the Federation, and for Related Matters, 2023 (SB. 08) had on 20th July, 2023 being rejected by Senators after a robust debate.

Sponsored by Senator Babangida Hussaini (APC, Jigawa North-West),  majority of Senators voted against it during a debate on its general principles, arguing that the bill is already part of the annual budget and would be unnecessary to be made an Act.

Speaking in Lagos on Wednesday, the Speaker however, said: “I intend to reintroduce a reviewed version of the Constituency Development Fund Bill to provide a framework for the management, disbursement, utilisation and accountability of funds designated for constituency projects.

I urge all legislators and members of the House of Representatives to emulate Hon. Gbajabiamila and renew their commitment to constituency projects. We must work with integrity and purpose to bring about meaningful change for our constituents. 

We should remember that the true measure of our success as legislators is not just in the laws we pass but in the lives we uplift directly,” he added.

The number four citizen described the initiative as actions intended to address the needs and improve the living conditions of constituents. 

“Constituency projects are not mere items in the budget; they are the lifelines that connect the heart of our government to the heartbeat of our communities.

By tailoring projects to local contexts, we ensure that development is not just a concept discussed in legislative chambers, but a reality experienced in the streets, villages, and towns across Nigeria.

I am personally encouraged by the many success stories that emerged from constituency projects over the last two decades. Schools have opened doors to education; good healthcare service delivery has saved lives, and infrastructure has bridged literal and metaphorical gaps between communities. 

These success stories are not just achievements, but are inspiration to millions of Nigerians that the government really cares about them,” he noted.

Speaker Abbas had earlier in the week, arrived Lagos for a 2-day working visit where he inaugurated projects including: a 484-bed Femi Gbajabiamila Hall of Residence at the University of Lagos (UNILAG), National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) Study Centre at Surulere, Femi Gbajabiamila Conference Centre, Lagos State University, Ojo, and the Femi Gbajabiamila Mini-Stadium, Orile, Coker Aguda, LCDA, Surulere.

The projects were facilitated by the Chief of Staff to the President, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, as the lawmaker of Surulere 1 Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives. He represented the constituency for twenty (20) years from 2003 to June 2023 when he resigned to take up an appointment  in the Presidency.