The Senate has issued a stern warning to government agencies that repeatedly fail to honour invitations from lawmakers, threatening to invoke its constitutional powers against officials who disregard legislative summons.
The warning followed a motion raised by the Senate Committee on Finance, which accused several government institutions, including the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), of failing to appear before the committee to explain their Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) remittances between 2023 and 2025.
During Thursday’s plenary, senators reaffirmed the authority of the National Assembly to summon public officials and agencies, expressing concern over what they described as increasing disregard for parliamentary oversight.
Several lawmakers supported the motion, arguing that the actions of appointed officials who fail to respond to legislative invitations should not be blamed on President Bola Tinubu, but rather addressed through existing constitutional mechanisms.
Other senators called for the full enforcement of the powers granted to the legislature to compel compliance from agencies and officials who refuse to appear before committees.
However, Senator Onawo Ogoshi argued that the Senate may have contributed to the situation by failing to take decisive action against officials who had previously ignored invitations.
His comments sparked a reaction from Senate President Godswill Akpabio during the debate.
The chamber also rejected an amendment proposed by Senator Adams Oshiomhole, which sought to include a specific provision stating that a warrant of arrest would be issued against any public official who failed to honour Senate invitations.
Despite rejecting the amendment, the Senate directed all government agencies to comply with legislative summons and urged the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and other supervising authorities to ensure strict adherence to oversight requirements.
The Senate cited Sections 88 and 89 of the 1999 Constitution, which empower the National Assembly to summon public officers, investigate matters within its legislative mandate and compel appearances where necessary.
The lawmakers said the move was aimed at strengthening accountability, transparency and responsible governance across public institutions.
