Committees & Caucuses.

As the highest lawmaking institution in the country, the Senate (Red Chamber) is constitutionally vested with the power of making laws for the peace, order and good governance of the Federation. Similarly, it is empowered to represent the interest, yearnings, aspirations and wellbeing of the citizenry. Also, the apex Parliament is saddled with the power of scrutinizing public institutions and officials to ensure probity and accountability in governance.

In discharging its Constitutional mandate, Section 62 (1) of the Constitution of the Federal republic of Nigeria (1999) empowers the National Assembly (Senate and the House of Representatives) to appoint Committees of special and general purpose as may be considered expedient. Accordingly, members of the Senate are distributed into various Committees for the smooth discharge of their legislative duties. In addition to their other responsibilities, Members of the National Assembly are appointed by the Majority and Minority Leaders to serve on committees.

A Committee is a unit within a legislative chamber that allows groups of legislators to review policies, propose bills and report back to the chamber. Committees are created for the purpose of satisfying the need for specialization and division of labour in law making. Towards this end, most committees in the National Assembly are created in line with the existing mandate of ministries, departments and agencies in government.

Unlike Committees, Members can usually join a Caucus without being appointed and there’s no limit on the number of members. Caucuses generally serve to build voting blocks and coalitions.

Some general functions of Committees include:

  • Initiation and Consideration of bills;
  • Oversight of the Executive;
  • Constituency Representation;
  • Investigating government policy initiatives;
  • Reviewing and approving government budget and expenditure.

Types of Committees.

There are various types of Committees. They include:

  • Standing Committees: Which are permanent committees that aid the National Assembly in their day-to-day functions. Examples include the Committee on Rules and Business and Committee on Appropriations.
  • Special Committees: Which are permanent committees established by the Rules of the House and Senate with clear terms of reference to perform specialized functions beyond that of standing committees. An example is the Committee on Selection, which selects and nominates members to the various standing Committees.
  • Ad-Hoc Committees: Which are committees created as a matter of urgency to deal with pressing or specific issues. An example is the Ad hoc Committee on the Review of the Constitution.
  • Joint Committees: Which are either a combination of two or more similar Committees from the two Chambers or from one Chamber. The aim of the joint committee is to examine any subject matter that falls within their jurisdiction.
  • Committee of the Whole: This happens when the entire membership of a Chamber forms a Committee that is chaired by its Presiding Officer to consider a bill or a matter of concern.
  • Conference Committee: This is a Committee consisting of members of the Senate and House who converge with the aim of harmonizing differences on a bill that has been passed by both houses.

Note: Committees are powered by Secretariats, which are headed by Clerks and other committee staff. To further support their work and the work of their committees, legislators often hire personal staff and legislative aides to assist them.

Find A List of Committees & Caucuses
that Senator Ireti Serves on:

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