IBY
Peterside Rejoice Eneky
The Senate on Tuesday frowned at blatant disregard of invitation extended to top government agencies to answer queries from the Auditor General on how public fund at their disposal are being managed saying it will not hesitate to issue warrant for the arrest of such erring agencies.
Addressing journalists in Abuja, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Public Accounts, Senator Aliyu Wadada, emphasized that his committee would no longer tolerate such disregard.
“We are drawing a line today. This committee operates under the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Many significant agencies have continuously evaded appearances before us to respond to queries from the Auditor General or to clarify their financial status. No one in Nigeria is above the law,” Wadada stated.
He questioned why appointed officials would refuse to appear before the National Assembly when even President Bola Ahmed Tinubu makes time to present the national budget in person.
“This is unacceptable. From today onward, any official who refuses to honor our invitations will face an arrest warrant. We will also urge the President to remove such individuals from office because they do not share in his vision of making Nigeria a better place,” he warned.
Wadada singled out the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) Chairman, who has reportedly ignored over eight invitations from the committee without any response.
“If he truly believes in the ‘Renewed Hope’ agenda, why would he avoid engaging with us? He should remember that we are elected representatives of the people, unlike him, who was appointed. If he disrespects our mandate, he should at least respect the authority of his appointing officer,” he said.
The senator also criticized the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) for its lack of cooperation, stating that their responses to committee inquiries have been vague and insufficient.
“For NNPC, the issues are numerous. They have never properly engaged with this committee. If they fail to attend the next hearing, we will issue a warrant of arrest and escalate the matter to the President,” he added.
Wadada also raised concerns about financial irregularities involving the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), accusing it of mismanaging over ₦30 trillion by improperly debiting the Consolidated Revenue Fund and crediting Treasury Single Accounts.
He stressed that the committee would continue its oversight duties with full authority and warned all agencies to take their responsibilities seriously.
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