Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, has cautioned lawmakers against making the creation of new government agencies their first response to national challenges, urging them instead to strengthen existing institutions and reduce the cost of governance.
Abbas made the remarks on Tuesday during the opening of the 2026 National Assembly Open Week and the presentation of the House’s third-year legislative scorecard in Abuja.
According to the Speaker, while the 10th House has received a record 2,747 bills in its first three legislative years—the highest since Nigeria returned to democracy in 1999—many of the proposals are aimed at creating new government agencies.
He disclosed that the House has so far passed 363 bills, with 72 already receiving presidential assent.
Abbas said many proposed bills have stalled at the first reading stage because they seek to establish additional agencies instead of improving the performance of existing ones.
“Too often, the first legislative instinct is to establish yet another agency. Sound lawmaking demands that we strengthen the institutions we already have and reduce the cost of governance,” he said.
The Speaker assured Nigerians that the House had taken note of the concerns and was committed to improving its legislative approach, adding that constructive criticism from the public remains important in strengthening lawmaking.
His comments come amid long-standing calls for the Federal Government to reduce the number of ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) in line with the recommendations of the Oronsaye Report, which proposed the merger and scrapping of several government institutions to cut the cost of governance.
Although successive administrations have set up committees to implement the report, many of its recommendations are yet to be fully carried out.
Abbas’ remarks add fresh momentum to the debate over government spending and the need to make public institutions more efficient.
