Femi Gbajabiamila, Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, has addressed growing criticism of lawmakers for inserting projects into the national budget.
He explained that many of these insertions are driven by the pressure to meet public expectations that go beyond what the constitution allows legislators to do.
Speaking on Tuesday at the opening of the 2025 Open Week of the House of Representatives in Abuja, Gbajabiamila, a former Speaker of the House, said many Nigerians still misunderstand the real duties of their elected lawmakers.
According to him, this misunderstanding remains a major source of frustration and has led to unrealistic demands on members of parliament.
“It is a source of frustration that, nearly three decades later, the vast majority of our nation’s people still do not fully comprehend the legislative functions, powers, responsibilities, and limitations of each member of parliament and the institution,” he said.
Gbajabiamila warned that this disconnect between public expectation and constitutional reality has become one of the biggest challenges facing the legislature today.
In May, civic tech organisation BudgIT revealed that 11,122 projects worth ₦6.93 trillion had been inserted by the National Assembly into the 2025 budget. The group said what started as an irregular practice has now grown into a culture of exploitation.
While acknowledging the concern, Gbajabiamila explained that lawmakers often see budget insertions as their only option to satisfy their constituents.
“A member of the house of representatives who isn’t actively engaged in providing education and healthcare facilities, who isn’t doing road construction and waste management, while delivering sustained empowerment for commercial activities, is not going to be a legislator for very long,” he said.
He stressed that the Nigerian constitution never intended for legislators to handle such responsibilities.
“The constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria did not envisage such a role for the legislator and did not make provisions for it to perform in this capacity. Yet, political reality requires the legislator to meet these constituency demands by whatever means.”
Gbajabiamila blamed the situation on the collapse of the local government system, which he said has created a vacuum that lawmakers are now expected to fill.
This shift, he warned, leads to confusion and frustration because lawmakers are being judged by standards that were never part of their original duties.
“When that assumption of good faith is tied to your ability to perform functions that are frankly beyond your scope, it becomes a recipe for dysfunction and resentment,” he said.
“Dysfunction because the provision of social services is an executive function and must be done systematically through a coordinated policy process to ensure sustainability. For example, when the executive builds roads, there is a framework for maintenance through the public works department. No legislator can provide that, nor should they be expected to.”
Gbajabiamila said the Tinubu administration is working to restore local government independence through proper funding, accountability, and transparency.
He noted that in developed democracies, citizens rely on local governments for services like sanitation, education, healthcare, and local security. He added that once local governments are empowered to function as intended by the constitution, lawmakers can return to focusing on lawmaking, policy development, and oversight.
