By NEFISHETU YAKUBU

The Senate on Wednesday began moves to compel several Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to honour invitations issued by its Committee on Finance.

It warned that continued non-compliance undermines legislative oversight and fiscal accountability.

Raising matter under point of order during plenary, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, Sen. Sani Musa, cited Sections 88 and 89 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), saying that the National Assembly possesses constitutional powers to investigate the finances and administration of public institutions.

Musa said the committee’s investigations were designed to assess internally generated revenue, scrutinise financial management and ensure compliance with existing financial laws, including the Fiscal Responsibility Act and the Finance Act.

According to him, despite receiving formal invitations, several government agencies either failed to appear before the committee or declined the invitations entirely, claiming they were under no obligation to attend.

He described the position adopted by the agencies as unconstitutional, stressing that it constituted a direct challenge to the Senate’s oversight responsibilities and the authority of the National Assembly.

Musa said that if the trend continued unchecked, it would erode legislative oversight, weaken fiscal accountability and reduce transparency in the management of public resources.

The senator listed defaulting agencies to include the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA).

Others are office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Nigeria Export-Import Bank (NEXIM), Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Nigerian Shippers’ Council and several others.

Musa said many of the agencies were revenue-generating institutions expected to remit operating surpluses to the Federal Government in line with the Fiscal Responsibility Act and the Finance Act.

He alleged that some agencies were remitting far below the amounts required by law while retaining excessive portions of their internally generated revenue, contrary to statutory financial regulations.

The lawmaker urged the Senate to compel the affected agencies to appear before the committee on finance and account for their revenue collections, expenditures and remittances to the federal government.

He said that enforcing compliance would strengthen transparency, promote accountability and ensure that public funds were managed in accordance with the law.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio, however, directed the chairman of the committee, Sen. Sani Musa, to bring a substantive motion on the matter at the next sitting to enable the Senate to conduct a comprehensive debate before taking a decision. (NAN)

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