The Senate on Thursday issued a final warning to government agencies that repeatedly ignore its invitations, saying it will invoke its constitutional powers against officials who fail to appear before lawmakers.

The resolution followed a motion by the Senate Committee on Finance, which accused the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and other government agencies of failing to honour invitations to explain the remittance of their Internally Generated Revenue between 2023 and 2025.

During plenary, the Senate reaffirmed its constitutional authority to summon public officials and agencies, warning that it would no longer tolerate what lawmakers described as a growing disregard for legislative oversight.

Several senators backed the motion, with some arguing that President Bola Tinubu should not be linked to the actions of appointed officials who ignore the National Assembly.

Other lawmakers called on the Senate to exercise its constitutional powers against defaulting agencies to enforce compliance.

Senator Onawo Ogoshi, however, said the Senate may have contributed to the culture of impunity by failing to take firm action against officials who previously ignored its invitations.

His remarks drew a response from Senate President Godswill Akpabio during the debate.

The Senate also rejected an additional prayer by Senator Adams Oshiomhole seeking to expressly state in the motion that a warrant of arrest would be issued against any public official who failed to honour its invitation.

Despite rejecting the amendment, the Senate directed all government agencies to comply with its invitations and called on the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and other supervising authorities to ensure strict compliance with legislative oversight.

Sections 88 and 89 of the 1999 Constitution empower the National Assembly to summon public officers and compel their appearance where necessary in the exercise of its oversight functions. (Arise News)

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