ABUJA — The Senate dramatically escalated its confrontation with the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and over 40 government agencies on Wednesday, threatening to issue arrest warrants against officials who continue to snub legislative summons.
The hardline position, which followed a substantive motion by the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, Senator Sani Musa, marked a full-throated defence of Parliament’s constitutional authority. Lawmakers declared that the persistent refusal of agencies to appear before committees amounted to an assault on Nigeria’s democracy and the doctrine of separation of powers.
The move came barely 24 hours after the upper chamber drew a constitutional battle line with the NNPCL and other Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) over their failure to account for public funds.
Senator Musa argued that the Finance Committee’s investigations into internally generated revenue, operating surpluses, and compliance with the Fiscal Responsibility Act were firmly rooted in Sections 88 and 89 of the Constitution. He warned that agencies’ refusal to cooperate had gone beyond administrative indifference.
“This persistent non-compliance constitutes a direct affront to the constitutional authority of the Senate, undermines the doctrine of separation of powers and checks and balances, weakens legislative oversight and erodes transparency and accountability in the management of public resources,” Senator Musa said.
The debate took a dramatic turn when Senator Mohammed Tahir Monguno (Borno North) reminded his colleagues that the Constitution had already armed them with sufficient powers to compel attendance. Reading directly from Section 89(1)(d), he noted that Parliament could issue warrants to compel the attendance of any person who refuses to honour a summons without reasonable excuse.
“We are representing our various senatorial districts. We are representing the entire nation. These constitutional powers exist for a reason,” Senator Monguno declared.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio acknowledged the point, saying some committees had even been told by agency heads that they had ministerial approval to ignore invitations. “That is mind-boggling,” he said.
The hardline stance garnered support across party lines. Former Senate Chief Whip Orji Uzor Kalu insisted lawmakers should stop looking to the Presidency whenever agencies ignored parliamentary invitations. “We do not need to run back to the Executive. We are properly constituted to carry out our constitutional responsibilities,” he argued.
Senator Adams Oshiomhole similarly urged colleagues not to personalise the dispute by blaming President Bola Tinubu, saying there was no evidence he had instructed any agency to boycott Senate hearings. He described legislative oversight as one of Parliament’s strongest tools for uncovering waste and financial violations.
The Senate is now expected to identify defaulting agencies and invoke its constitutional enforcement powers against those that continue to ignore invitations.
