After 10-week recess, national assembly reconvenes then takes another break

The national assembly resumed plenary on Tuesday after a 10-week recess, only to adjourn sitting again until October 13.

The senate and house of representatives had adjourned sitting on July 23 for their annual break, with lawmakers initially expected to return on September 15.

But their resumption was postponed by another two weeks, prolonging the legislative vacation to nearly 10 weeks.

The decision to defer the September 15 resumption was jointly communicated by Godswill Akpabio, president of the senate, and Tajudeen Abbas, speaker of the house of representatives, in a statement issued by Kamoru Ogunlana, clerk to the national assembly.

Ogunlana said the additional two-week delay was necessary to allow contractors to complete renovation and structural rehabilitation works in both chambers.

The extended vacation meant that lawmakers spent more than two months away from plenary, although some committees and other legislative activities continued during the period.

The adjournments have drawn renewed attention to the amount of time federal lawmakers spend in plenary.

Section 63 of the 1999 constitution provides that the senate and the house of representatives shall each sit for a period of not less than 181 days in a year.

It is unclear whether both chambers will ultimately meet the constitutional threshold when their official sitting days for the year are tallied.

During the sitting on Tuesday, the lawmakers approved an extension of the implementation period for the capital component of the 2025 budget from September 30 to December 31.

It was the fourth extension granted for implementing the capital component of the 2025 budget.

Lawmakers had first extended the deadline in December 2025, moving it to March 31, 2026.

On March 31, the deadline was further shifted to June 30, before the national assembly extended it again on June 15 to September 30.

With the latest extension, the 2025 capital budget will now remain open for implementation until December 31.