The Senate on Thursday declared a major showdown with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and about 40 Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), threatening to issue arrest warrants against their chief executives for repeatedly ignoring legislative summons.
The Red Chamber said the refusal of the agencies to appear before its committees investigating internally generated revenue, operating surpluses and statutory remittances amounted to a direct challenge to the constitutional powers of the National Assembly.
The move followed a motion by the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, Senator Sani Musa (APC, Niger East), who insisted that the committee’s investigation was backed by Sections 88 and 89 of the 1999 Constitution.
According to Musa, the continued absence of the affected agencies undermines legislative oversight, transparency and accountability in the management of public funds.
“It undermines the doctrine of separation of powers and checks and balances, weakens legislative oversight and erodes transparency and accountability in the management of public resources,” he said.
The debate became more heated when Senator Mohammed Tahir Monguno (APC, Borno North) called on the Senate to stop issuing repeated invitations and begin enforcing the law against defiant officials.
He cited Section 89(1)(d) of the Constitution, which empowers the National Assembly to compel the attendance of any person who refuses to honour its summons.
“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,” Monguno declared.
Backing the move, Senate President Godswill Akpabio described as shocking claims by some agencies that they had ministerial approval to ignore Senate invitations.
“That is mind-boggling,” Akpabio said.
He warned that once committee reports confirmed continued defiance, the Senate would not hesitate to invoke its constitutional powers and summon the affected officials before the full chamber.
Former Senate Chief Whip, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu (APC, Abia North), said no government official should see himself as above parliamentary scrutiny.
“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 said.
Also supporting the crackdown, Senator Adams Oshiomhole (APC, Edo North) said legislative oversight remains one of the strongest tools for checking financial abuse and enforcing compliance with the Fiscal Responsibility Act.
However, Senator Mohammed Onawo (ADC, Nasarawa North) urged caution, arguing that the Senate had in the past failed to consistently enforce its own powers, thereby encouraging impunity.
Despite the tough stance, Akpabio clarified that only the Senate sitting in plenary—not its committees—has the authority to approve arrest warrants, stressing that no official should be presumed guilty before investigations are concluded.
At the end of the session, the Senate reaffirmed its oversight powers under Sections 88 and 89 of the Constitution, directed all defaulting MDAs to honour legislative invitations and ordered the Clerk of the National Assembly to communicate its resolutions to the affected agencies.
The lawmakers also directed all MDAs to regularly submit their audited accounts to the relevant Senate committees as part of efforts to strengthen accountability in public finance management.
