FRESH concerns over fiscal responsibility and accountability have emerged after budget performance documents revealed that the Lagos State House of Assembly has earmarked N6.2 billion to purchase 40 residential properties for its members.
The provision, captured in the second quarter 2025 budget performance report, indicates that each lawmaker will walk away with a house valued at approximately N155 million as part of their exit package.
According to the document obtained by News Point Nigeria, N1 billion (16.1%) of the allocation has already been spent by the end of Q2 2025. The budget line specifically referenced the purchase of 40 properties in Lagos or Abuja, aligning with the number of sitting lawmakers in the 10th Assembly.
A review of past budget performance raises further questions about the controversial housing benefits. In 2023, N1.22 billion was earmarked for the same purpose, and by the end of the fiscal year, N1.131 billion (92.7%) had been spent. That year coincided with the end of the 9th Assembly and the inauguration of the 10th.
Similarly, in 2024, the Assembly dramatically raised the provision for lawmakers’ houses from N1.22 billion to N6.2 billion, yet only N126 million (2%) was utilized.
The current year’s spending trajectory suggests a more aggressive execution of the controversial policy.
It remains uncertain whether the initiative to provide houses for lawmakers originated from the executive arm or the legislature itself. Critics point to Section 124(5) of the 1999 Constitution, which only empowers state assemblies to legislate pensions or gratuities for former governors and deputy governors, not lawmakers.
This constitutional gray area has sparked debates in the past. In 2019, then Bayelsa Governor Seriake Dickson rejected a “life pension” bill for state lawmakers, citing constitutional overreach.
Pension provisions for state lawmakers in Nigeria remain largely under-examined, compared to the more widely criticized pensions for ex-governors and deputy governors. In recent years, states such as Abia (2024) and Benue (2024) have repealed laws granting life pensions and hefty retirement benefits to ex-governors.
Lagos itself has also faced pressure over lavish retirement perks. In 2021, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu announced plans to repeal the controversial Public Office Holder (Payment of Pension) Law, which guaranteed pensions to former governors and deputies.
However, the Assembly only reduced the benefits by 50%, rather than abolishing them.
The N155m homes for lawmakers appear to mirror the growing trend of legislative self-indulgence across Nigerian states, leaving questions about fiscal prudence, constitutional backing, and the moral standing of public office holders unanswered.
