By Ahmed Akanbi
The Senate, on Thursday, vowed to clamp down on ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) that refuse to honour legislative summons, including the CBN, NNPCL, and about 40 others, over failure to account for public funds.
Lawmakers said the continued disregard for oversight amounts to an attack on democracy and the doctrine of separation of powers.
The resolution followed a motion by Chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, Senator Sani Musa, who said the committee’s probe into internally generated revenue, operating surpluses, statutory remittances and compliance with the Fiscal Responsibility Act is grounded in Sections 88 and 89 of the Constitution.
Musa warned that the refusal by several agencies to appear before the committee had gone beyond administrative indifference.
“This persistent non-compliance constitutes a direct affront to the constitutional authority of the Senate, undermines checks and balances, weakens legislative oversight and erodes transparency and accountability,” he said.
He cautioned that allowing the trend to continue would encourage institutional impunity and frustrate Parliament’s constitutional mandate.
The debate took a tougher dimension when Senator Mohammed Tahir Monguno, Borno North, said the Senate should immediately invoke its constitutional enforcement powers.
Citing Section 89(1)(d), Monguno reminded colleagues that the Senate could issue warrants to compel attendance of anyone who refuses legislative summons without excuse.
“The Senate has been conferred with clear powers to issue a warrant to compel the attendance of any person who, after having been summoned, refuses or neglects to do so,” he said.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio backed the position, saying the Constitution had already provided all the authority needed to deal with defiant public officials.
Akpabio revealed that some agencies had told committees they had “ministerial approval to ignore Senate invitations.” He described the claim as “mind-boggling.”
He directed that where committee reports establish continued defiance, the Senate would summon the officials before the entire chamber and invoke all constitutional powers available.
Former Senate Chief Whip, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, said lawmakers should not run to the executive when agencies ignore invitations.
“If the Minister of Finance and the Governor of the Central Bank can honour Senate invitations, no other public official should consider themselves beyond parliamentary scrutiny,” he stated.
Senator Adams Oshiomhole said oversight remains one of Parliament’s strongest tools for uncovering waste and breaches of financial laws, warning that many MDAs were violating revenue-remittance provisions.
Senator Mohammed Onawo, however, urged the Senate to first restore discipline in its own processes, noting that past failure to enforce its powers had emboldened agencies.
Akpabio cautioned that only the Senate in plenary can issue arrest warrants and urged members not to prejudge officials before investigations are concluded.
At the end of the debate, the Senate reaffirmed its powers under Sections 88 and 89, directed all MDAs to honour invitations, ordered the Clerk to communicate the resolutions, and approved a new directive compelling MDAs to regularly submit audited accounts to relevant committees.