Senate Moves to Sanction MDAs, Government Enterprises Over Failure to Honour Oversight Invitations
The Senate has resolved to impose sanctions on government-owned enterprises and Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) that fail to honour invitations issued in the course of its constitutional oversight responsibilities.
The decision followed concerns raised during plenary on Thursday by the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, who informed lawmakers that ongoing investigations into the financial operations of MDAs and government-owned enterprises were being hindered by the failure of some institutions to provide the required responses and appear before the committee.
The Senate stressed that compliance with legislative oversight is a legal obligation and not a matter of personal choice for government agencies.
It reiterated that MDAs and government-owned enterprises must comply with the provisions of the Fiscal Responsibility Act, particularly regarding the management of internally generated revenue, stamp duty collections, operating surpluses and statutory remittances into the Consolidated Revenue Fund.
The upper chamber called on the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, and relevant ministers to ensure that agencies under their supervision fully comply with lawful invitations and directives from the National Assembly.
The Senate maintained that effective oversight remains critical to promoting transparency, accountability and responsible management of public resources in the interest of Nigerians.
Senate Moves to Sanction MDAs, Government Enterprises Over Failure to Honour Oversight Invitations