By Saint Mugaga

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Abbas Tajudeen has proposed a think-tank to be known as the National Assembly and Business Executive Roundtable with the aim of closing gaps between legislative interventions and current economic realities.

Speaker Abbas noted that the proposed NABER, which will be composed of the lawmakers and stakeholders in the organised private sector, is to feel the pulse and understand the impact of laws on the country’s economy.

Speaker Abbas made the proposal on Thursday in his ‘Legislative Response and Commitments’ at a session tagged Legislative Business Breakfast Meeting with the private sector and the diplomatic corps as part of the NASS Open Week 2026, held at the National Assembly Library Trust Fund building, Abuja.

The event had the theme, ‘The Business of Growth—Legislative Priorities for Investment, Competitiveness, and Economic Transformation.’

The Speaker made reference to South Africa, where no significant economic or labour law reaches the parliament without first passing through the National Economic Development and Labour Council, a standing council where government, business, and labour reason together until they find common ground.

He also cited the example of Kenya, where the Private Sector Alliance meets the parliament in regular roundtables to clear the specific bottlenecks that hold back investment.

Also in the United Kingdom, Speaker Abbas noted that the Industry and Parliament Trust places legislators inside real businesses so that lawmakers understand the enterprises their laws affect.

Similarly, in India, he said the national budget is not finalised before the chambers of industry have been consulted.

The Speaker said, “The lesson is the same everywhere: that an economy grows faster when those who legislate and those who invest remain in continuous conversation, and Nigeria will learn it too.

“So, let me move us from lesson to action. I propose, here and now, that we institutionalise this gathering. Let us establish a standing National Assembly and Business Executive Roundtable (NABER), convened twice every year, that brings the leadership of both chambers and our economic committees together with the organised private sector, the Nigerian Economic Summit Group, organised labour and our development partners.

“Its mission would be simple and serious: to keep the conversation between Parliament and the productive economy continuous, structured, and grounded in evidence, rather than occasional and reactive.

“Its purpose would be fourfold: to review, each half-year, the true state of our business environment; to track the implementation of our reforms and the fate of the commitments we make to one another; to shape a shared, pro-growth legislative calendar for the year ahead; and to surface the obstacles to investment early enough for us to remove them by law.

He added, “The Roundtable should have a permanent home here at the National Assembly Library, so that it endures as an institution and does not depend on the goodwill of any single session.”

Speaker Abbas emphasised that the National Assembly should not make laws concerning the economy “from a distance,” stating that, “If we are to get this right, we need you as partners, and not merely as petitioners.”

He said, “So, I ask four things of you. Do not allow this communiqué to gather dust. Bring it to our relevant committees, on commerce, trade and investment, industry, finance, and banking as a living working document.

“Come to our public hearings, and come with data, because sound law is built on evidence and not on anecdote. Tell us honestly when a law we have made is not working as intended, so that we can move quickly to amend it.

“And let us, from today, institutionalise this engagement, so that the conversation between Nigerian business and its Parliament no longer waits for an annual breakfast, but becomes a permanent and structured partnership.

The Speaker noted that the reforms of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, were not undertaken for the benefit of the government; “they were undertaken for you.”

He further noted that the President has made it plain that his agenda is private-sector-led. This, he said, “places you not at the margins of the Renewed Hope Agenda, but at its very centre.”

Speaker Abbas also stated that the Parliament has not been a bystander to reform, saying, “We have been its legislative engine, and our record is one of concrete action.”

He went on to highlight some landmark legislation considered and passed by the National Assembly, in line with the economic policies of the current administration.

Addressing some issues, the Speaker said, “First, on regulatory clarity and legislative predictability, we commit that laws affecting business will be stable, transparent, and made with your input so that no investor is ever ambushed by a rule they could not foresee.

“Second, on the cost of doing business, we will build on the tax reforms to harmonise levies across all tiers of government, so that one enterprise is not taxed to exhaustion by federal, state, and local authorities at the same time.

“Third, on access to finance, we will strengthen, through law and through oversight, the institutions that lend to the real economy and press for financing that actually reaches the small and medium enterprises that employ most of our people.

“Fourth, on competitiveness, we will repeal the obsolete laws that frustrate enterprise, and legislate to support local manufacturing, agriculture, and our readiness for the continental market. And fifth, on delivery, we will use our oversight not to harass the private sector, but to hold public agencies to account for implementing these reforms faithfully and courteously.”

Earlier, the Majority Leader, Prof. Julius Ihonvbere, in his welcome address, expressed admiration for the array of stakeholders at the roundtable, expressing the need for the House to host more of such engagements. “It is more of listening,” the Leader said, adding that “we are willing to service your interests.”

Also, Chairman of the House Committee on Commerce, Hon. Ahmed Muhammed Munir, equally reeled out the legislative interventions and economic reforms under the 10th House and the Tinubu administration.

In her remarks, Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr. Jumoke Oduwole, commended the leadership of the National Assembly and the National Assembly Library Trust Fund for convening the “important gathering.” She noted that quality of legislation is fundamental to productive economic reforms, stressing that the National Assembly is a critical government body in the national transformation process.

The European Union Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, His Excellency, Amb. Gautier Mignot, noted that Nigeria is a major business and investment hub. He also noted that ease of doing business and macroeconomics have improved in the last few years.

Also, a former Minister of Finance, Budget, and National Planning and Board Chairman of the Ministry of Finance Incorporated (MOFI), Usman Shamsudeen Ahmad, noted that the National Assembly passes laws and approves budget, therefore a necessary and important stakeholder in economic development. He emphasised that foundations laid by the parliament are what the government builds the economy on.

In his submission, a former minister of information and national orientation, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, stated that the National Assembly creates the legislative frameworks that inspire confidence in investors, noting, “I’m confident that today’s discussion with the business community will strengthen practical solutions.”

The Executive Director, Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC), Dr. Clement Nwankwo, criticised a development where “almost every agency of government considers themselves a revenue-generating agency.” He called for more reforms, especially harmonisation of taxes and standardisation of revenue collection.

Similarly, the Executive Secretary of the NALTF, Hon. Henry Nwawuba, noted that good laws cannot be made without the necessary data and research. He therefore urged the stakeholders to use the library.