Senate Warns MDAs of Sanctions for Ignoring Invitations

On Thursday, the Nigerian Senate, presided over by Senate President Godswill Akpabio, issued a warning that heads of Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) and Government-Owned Enterprises (GOEs) who fail to respond to committee invitations will face constitutional and legislative sanctions. This resolution arose from a debate led by Senator Sani Musa regarding the repeated non-compliance of several MDAs with invitations from the Senate Committee on Finance.

Senator Abdul Ningi emphasized that the National Assembly can no longer plead with these agencies to fulfill their constitutional duties, labeling their refusal as a threat to democracy. He proposed that the Senate should inform President Bola Tinubu about the disrespect shown towards the legislature and suggested withholding budgetary allocations from non-compliant organizations.

Senator Adams Oshiomhole clarified that the responsibility lies with the heads of the agencies, while Senator Oji Uzor Kalu asserted that the Senate has the constitutional authority to compel attendance. The discussion highlighted the Senate's power under Sections 88 and 89 of the 1999 Constitution to enforce compliance.