The leadership of the 10th House of Representatives has suspended plenary activities until Thursday, 5 March 2026, to conclude the ongoing 2026 budget defence by Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
The Acting Clerk to the House of Representatives, Ibrahim Sidi, made this known via an internal memo dated Monday, 23 February 2026, sent to members.
“In light of the ongoing 2026 budget defence by Ministries, Departments and Agencies, which remains substantially incomplete, the leadership of both Houses hereby directs the postponement of plenary sitting to allow committees to conclude their budget defence accordingly,” he said.
He stated that the plenary session earlier scheduled to resume on Tuesday, 24 February 2026, will now reconvene on Thursday, 5 March 2026, at 11 a.m.
“The leadership regrets any inconvenience this adjustment may cause and urges Honourable Members to utilise the intervening period to further refine and strengthen discourse on the ongoing budget defence,” he said.
As contained in the House Notice Paper for the legislative week, the House had planned, upon resumption on Tuesday, to conduct a valedictory session in honour of the late Senator Barinada Mpigi, who represented Rivers South-East Senatorial District of Rivers State.
For Wednesday’s plenary, the House had gazetted three bills for second reading.
They are ‘A Bill for an Act to establish the Bitumen Development Commission of Nigeria and provide a legal framework for the promotion of research, study, investment, exploration, production, exportation, development and utilisation of locally sourced bitumen in Nigeria and for related matters’; ‘A Bill for an Act to provide for the establishment of the Chartered Sustainability Professionals Institute of Nigeria and for related matters’; and ‘A Bill for an Act to amend the Chartered Risk Management Institute of Nigeria Act No. 39, 2022, and for related matters’.
Other items listed for debate include motions on the ‘Need to halt the recent increase in school fees by public tertiary institutions and its impact on the Nigeria Education Loan Fund (NELFUND)’, ‘Rising cost of medicines in Nigeria and the need to fast-track the revival of local pharmaceutical manufacturing’, and the ‘Need for banks and other financial institutions to introduce payable-on-death provisions’.
The House also listed some committee reports for consideration at the Committee of the Whole, namely, ‘A Bill for an Act to provide for the establishment of the National Assembly Infrastructure and Property Agency to take over the operation, management, development, maintenance and preservation of the National Assembly Complex and all properties of the National Assembly anywhere in Nigeria and for related matters’; ‘Report on a Bill for an Act to amend the National Assembly Service Pension Board Act, No. 62, 2023, to, among other things, reconstitute the membership of the Board, provide the template for payment of gratuity and establish a fund for the scheme and for related matters’; and ‘Report on a Bill for an Act to repeal the National Assembly Service Act (No. 63) 2014 and enact the National Assembly Service Act, 2025, to provide for a clear administrative structure for the National Assembly Service outlining the qualifications for the appointment of Clerks, Heads of Directorates of the National Assembly and the Secretary to the Commission; to enhance professionalism and accountability within the National Assembly’s administrative framework and for related matters’.
Thursday’s itinerary for the House includes consideration of two bills gazetted for second reading: ‘A Bill for an Act to establish the Federal University of Agriculture and Technology, Lavun, Niger State, to provide quality education, research and innovation in agricultural technology, and to promote sustainable agricultural practices, food security and socio-economic development; and for related matters’; and ‘A Bill for an Act to amend the National Tobacco Control Act 2015 and ensure that the implementation of this Act is carried out by the National Agency for Food and Drugs Administration and Control and for related matters’.
Also on the list are motions on the ‘Need to construct pedestrian bridges on the ongoing Sagamu–Benin Expressway project to curb casualties on the road’; the ‘Need for the establishment of forward operating bases in high-risk banditry areas in Kogi State’, as well as consideration of reports on ‘A Bill for an Act to amend the Federal Medical Centres Act and establish the Federal Medical Centre, Ikwuano, Abia State, and for related matters’; and the ‘Report on a Bill for an Act to amend the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau Act, 2022, and for related matters’.