For failing to honor summonses, according to Senate President Ahmad Lawan, the upper legislative chamber will cut some ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs)’ 2023 budgets.
After Matthew Urhoghide, chairman of the public accounts committee, sponsored a motion to the effect, the president of the Senate made this statement on Wednesday.
Lawan stated that the measure would be approved by the Senate if the MDAs provided no compelling explanation for their absence from the relevant committees.
He stated, “We will slash their 2023 budget if any of them fail to do so, with no communication or verifiable reason.”
Urhoghide complained in his motion that MDAs have repeatedly failed to appear before his committee to answer questions from the federation’s office of the auditor-general (AGF).
Trivial expenditures, misappropriation of assets and installment of compensations to dead or resigned staff are a portion of the supposed infractions committed by the MDAs.
While reminding his colleagues that the national assembly has the authority to issue an arrest warrant, he stated that the time had come for them to invoke the relevant sections of the constitution to force the MDAs to appear.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the Debt Management Office (DMO), and the ministries of health, finance, information and culture, special duties, are among the MDAs that are said to have declined the invitation from the public accounts committee.