By Seun Ibiyemi
The Senate has summoned the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and 43 other ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) over alleged failures to remit revenues due to the Federation Account.
The upper legislative chamber directed the 47 agencies to appear before its Committee on Finance to explain the alleged revenue shortfalls and other financial infractions.
The resolution followed the adoption of a motion sponsored by Senator Sani Musa (Niger East), who accused several revenue-generating agencies of failing to remit their operating surpluses in accordance with the Fiscal Responsibility Act, 2007, and other extant financial laws.
Musa also alleged that many of the agencies had repeatedly ignored invitations extended by the Senate Committee on Finance, thereby frustrating legislative oversight and accountability.
According to the lawmaker, the alleged non-remittance of public funds has deprived the Federal Government of critical revenue needed to finance development programmes while undermining fiscal transparency and accountability.
Speaking during plenary, Senate President Godswill Akpabio dismissed claims by some agencies that Senate committees lacked the constitutional authority to summon them.
Akpabio maintained that the National Assembly is constitutionally empowered to exercise oversight over all agencies that manage or generate public funds.
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He warned that any agency that fails to honour the Senate’s invitation would face appropriate sanctions.
Among the agencies directed to appear before the committee are the CBN, NNPC Limited, NNPC Retail Limited, NPA, NIMASA, Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC), Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC), Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC), Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB), National Examinations Council (NECO), Nigerian Export-Import Bank (NEXIM) and the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON).
Others include the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI), National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service (NAQS), National Insurance Commission (NAICOM), Nigerian Communications Satellite Limited (NIGCOMSAT), Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Nigeria Export Processing Zones Authority (NEPZA), Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF), Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN), Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN), Industrial Training Fund (ITF) and several other government agencies.
The Senate mandated its Committee on Finance to engage with the affected agencies and submit its findings and recommendations to the chamber after concluding the investigation.
The move is part of the National Assembly’s efforts to strengthen fiscal discipline, improve revenue generation and ensure compliance with statutory financial obligations by government agencies.
