Sitting Arrangement, Office Allocation Tears Federal Lawmakers Apart

On Tuesday, June 4, some House of Representatives members in Abuja protested against alleged discrimination in allocating seats and offices for them.

The lawmakers, numbering about 100 who openly protested against the perceived tendencies, said the ugly trend was capable of causing setbacks in legislative activities.

The protesting lawmakers were mostly first-timers, who described the seats allocated to them at one of the temporary chambers as unconducive.

The Chair Welfare Committee, Rep. Olawale Raji, said 240 members were allotted for the second floor, while a few members, including some first-timers, were allocated seats on the ground floor.

Responding to the development, the Speaker of the House, Rep. Tajudeen Abbas, called for calm while assuring that the main Chamber, which is currently undergoing renovation, would be completed before the House resumed from recess.

Rep. Khadijat Bukar-Ibrahim, Chairman Ad hoc Committee on Media, said the allocation of offices is the responsibility of the Welfare Committee, which had done the work and allocated offices to every member.

“And as far as the seats are concerned, you know we are in a temporary seating area, so there are not enough seats for all members to sit downstairs. So, some have to be accommodated upstairs,” she said.