Nearly one year after they were inaugurated, no fewer than 24 of the 109 senators drawn from across the country are yet to sponsor any bill in the upper chamber of the National Assembly. However, each of the other 85 senators has at least one bill to their name.
The 10th Senate, inaugurated on June 13, 2023, will be celebrating its first anniversary this Thursday. A review of the activities of the 109 senators regarding the sponsorship of bills shows that 279 bills were sponsored between July 13, 2023, and March 2024.
Lawmaking is one of the primary functions of legislators, and the Senate is made up of 109 members, 14 of whom were former governors. Two of these former governors - Senators David Umahi (APC, Ebonyi South) and Ibrahim Geidam (APC, Yobe East) - were later appointed as Ministers by President Bola Tinubu.
Among the 13 remaining former governors in the Senate, nine sponsored bills within the period under review. They include Orji Uzor Kalu, Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Gbenga Daniel, Ibrahim Dankwambo, Aminu Tambuwal, Sani Bello, Danjuma Goje, Aliyu Wammako, and Adamu Aliero.
Former governors who are yet to present any bill during this period are Senators Adams Oshiomhole, Henry Seriake Dickson, Simon Lalong, and Abdulaziz Yari. Additionally, Senator Umahi sponsored one bill before leaving, while Senator Geidam did not sponsor any bill prior to his departure.
The 24 senators, aside from the four former governors, who are yet to sponsor any bill are Senators Ahmad Lawan, Victor Umeh, Oluwole Fasuyi Cyril, Titus Tartenger Zam, Peter Jiya, Adegbonmire Adeniyi Ayodele, Oyewumi Kamorudeen Olalere, Anthony Ani, Imasuen Neda Bernards, and several others.
On the other hand, the Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, has the highest number of bills with 23, most of which are from the Executive Arm of government. He is followed by the Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin with 17 bills and several other senators with varying numbers of bills sponsored.