A bill seeking to establish the National Assembly Bucket and Research Office passed into second reading in the Nigerian Senate on Thursday.
The bill is sponsored by deputy president of the Senate, Barau Jibril.
Leading the debate on the general principles of the bill, the leader of the senate, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele said the research office is an initiative of the Nigerian legislature to support its work in its engagements with the Executive on national budgets.
According to the bill, the objectives of the office among others include – to provide the National Assembly with objective, timely and non-partisan analysis, information and estimates needed for economic and budget decisions
To provide independent, unbiased and nonpartisan analysis of the executive arm of government’s annual budget estimates;
To review and monitor existing and proposed programmes and budgets of the Federal Government.
To Provide analysis of the economic implication of the Federal budget on the private sector and the budgetary and financial implication of any proposed legislation when so required by any committee of the National Assembly.
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Speaking against the bill, Senator Adams Oshomhole wondered how the Executive arm of government working to cut cost of governance, the National Assembly is trying to establish additional institutions.
He therefore advised the National Assembly Committee on Appropriation to hire experts to help them review the budget of the executive.
After the exhaustive debate on the bill, the Senate passed the bill second reading.
