The Senate has issued a stern warning to several prominent government agencies, threatening arrest warrants and possible removal from office if they fail to attend the Senate Public Accounts Committee over unresolved audit queries.
Chairman of the Committee, Senator Aliyu Wadada, expressed frustration over the continued refusal of key agencies to respond, including the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun; the Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service, Zacch Adedeji; the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL); the Central Bank of Nigeria; the Nigeria Customs Service; and the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).
Other agencies named include the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), the FCT Internal Revenue Service, and the Nigerian Communication Satellite Limited (NIGCOMSAT).
Wadada disclosed that these agencies have repeatedly ignored requests to answer audit queries raised by the Auditor-General for the Federation (AuGF), with the FIRS specifically failing to respond to eight formal invitations.
Drawing a comparison to President Bola Tinubu, who makes time to present the national budget to the National Assembly despite his busy schedule, Wadada stressed that no appointee is above accountability.
The Committee Chairman warned that any further failure to attend Senate invitations would prompt immediate legal action, including arrest warrants and a call for the President to remove the officials from office.
Beyond legal measures, the Senate is also contemplating making the audit queries public by publishing them in national newspapers to reveal potential financial mismanagement within the agencies.
Wadada concluded by emphasizing that if these officials think they can escape accountability, the Senate will make their records public, as Nigerians deserve full transparency in how their resources are managed
