Senate President Godswill Akpabio has threatened to replace chairpersons of standing committees of the upper chamber who aren’t performing their duties effectively.
Gatekeepers News reports that Akpabio made the threat while speaking during plenary on Tuesday while responding to senator representing Bauchi Central, Abdul Ningi’s complaint about the failure of senate committee on finance to carry out its oversight function on revenue-generating agencies.
Akpabio said the senate leadership will change if committee chairpersons are not doing their work effectively.
He said, “If for any reason some committees are finding it too difficult to oversee their agencies, we will change the composition of the committees so that those who have the capacity and the capabilities can take over and do the job for the benefit of democracy in this country.”
The senate president further ordered the standing committee chairpersons to submit reports on their oversight activities by January 2025.
He said, “I would like a report from almost all the committees to be submitted by January 31st of the activities so far so that we will know where they have difficulties.”
Akpabio expressed disappointment over the disregard by the heads of ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) national assembly’s invitation.
He said, “The powers are there, and the constitution backs us. I do not see where any MDAs or any agency will refuse to comply with the invitation or demands from any committee of the senate or the national assembly as a whole.”
“Where you overlook it as a committee, that is where they get away with it, and then it now becomes a norm. So, please let us take it seriously.”
Senator representing Nasarawa West, Aliyu Wadada noted that as chairman of the committee on public accounts, he issued several invitations to Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) on remittance of petroleum tax and the two agencies failed to provide a convincing explanation.
He said, “The committee had written both NNPC and the Federal Inland Revenue Service. The Federal Inland Revenue Service responded with documents that have been tipexed and handwritten and acclaimed to be from JP Morgan.”
“This is extremely unacceptable, and all efforts for the need to be done have not been achieved.”
