ABUJA — Tensions flared on the floor of the Upper Legislative Chamber as Senator Abdul Ningi (PDP, Bauchi Central) delivered a pointed rebuke regarding legislative oversight, warning Senate President Godswill Akpabio and the Senate leadership against treating executive agencies with kid gloves.
Leading a debate over the repeated refusal of key Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) and Government-Owned Enterprises (GOEs) to honor invitations from Senate oversight committees, Senator Ningi asserted that the National Assembly must reassert its constitutional authority.
“We Can No Longer Continue Pleading”
In his contribution to the debate—sparked by the failure of multiple executive heads to appear before the Senate Committee on Finance chaired by Senator Sani Musa—Ningi declared that lawmakers must stop begging public officials to fulfill their statutory duties.
“The Senate is not a ministerial position. We can no longer continue pleading with government agencies to perform what is their constitutional obligation,” Senator Ningi declared on the Senate floor.
He added that the persistent refusal of executive officials to answer parliamentary summons amounts to a direct affront to the legislative arm of government and a threat to democratic accountability:
- Final Ultimatum: Ningi demanded an immediate formal warning to defaulting agency heads.
- Executive Notice: He urged the Senate to formally notify President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the executive’s disregard for parliamentary authority.
- Budgetary Sanctions: He proposed an immediate freeze on budgetary allocations for any agency that refuses to appear before Senate committees.
Senate Resolves to Enforce Constitutional Sanctions
Following the debate, the Senate, presided over by Senate President Godswill Akpabio, unanimously adopted resolutions directing all federal agencies to comply with committee invitations or face strict constitutional and statutory sanctions.
Former Edo State Governor, Senator Adams Oshiomhole (Edo North), supported the motion, characterizing the failure of heads of agencies to comply with legislative oversight and the Fiscal Responsibility Act as an act of “economic sabotage”.
The resolution signals a firm stance by the 10th Senate to enforce its investigative and oversight powers under Sections 88 and 89 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).
