Nigerian government should make Senate part-time work – Ndume

Senator Ali Ndume has called for Nigeria’s National Assembly to operate on a part-time basis, arguing that lawmakers should only be paid for days they attend plenary sessions or committee meetings.

Ndume made the remarks during an interview on Trust TV on Friday, June 26, where he said the current structure of the legislature does not justify full-time remuneration because lawmakers do not report to work every day. “To me, I said it, what are we doing? We have been on recess for several times. Let us be paid by sitting. If you sit, you get paid. If you are not sitting, you are not paid,” he said.

The lawmaker maintained that the Senate and the House of Representatives could function effectively as part-time institutions without affecting legislative responsibilities. “And to me, we can even make the National Assembly to work part time. On Wednesday, we all assembled for an emergency meeting for this year; important national issues, that is the state policing even though I have reservations as to the speed and the way they are doing it,” he said.

Ndume also questioned the pace at which the Senate considered and passed the State Police Bill, saying legislation of such national importance deserved broader consultation and more extensive deliberation.

“Senate is a committee of elders. You just don’t come one day, sit down because the President wants state police, you just pass it overnight,” he said. “You are supposed to sit down, deliberate on it and get the input. We have passed the bill. Has the state police taken off today?”

The senator’s comments come days after the Senate approved the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (Alteration) (State Police) Bill, 2026, a proposal intended to establish state police services alongside the existing federal policing structure. Ndume, however, indicated that while he supports addressing Nigeria’s security challenges, he believes the legislative process should not be rushed.