The Senate Committee on Public Accounts has given the Bank of Agriculture (BOA), Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Company (NSPMC), and Rural Electrification Agency (REA) one week to appear before the committee and address outstanding audit queries.
The directive follows the agencies’ failure to attend Tuesday’s hearing in Abuja. The committee’s secretary informed Chairman Senator Ibrahim Dankwambo (Gombe North) that BOA had submitted a letter noting previous appearances between February 2023 and November 2024, claiming that issues raised had been resolved.
In its correspondence, signed by the bank’s legal adviser, BOA requested details of any unresolved matters and asked for a two-week extension to collate necessary documents. However, Senator Dankwambo rejected the request, criticizing the letter for not being personally signed by BOA’s Managing Director and CEO.
“All communications regarding committee invitations must be personally signed by the chief executives of the agencies,” Dankwambo emphasized, noting that failure to appear undermines legislative oversight. The committee insisted that the BOA Managing Director must personally appear within one week.
The lawmakers also warned that future correspondence from subordinate officers would no longer be accepted. The committee further gave NSPMC and REA a final one-week notice to respond, labeling their absence as unacceptable.
Committee members expressed concern over what they described as a growing trend of government agencies disregarding legislative summons. They underscored that unresolved audit queries are accountability matters that must be addressed promptly.
The Senate Committee stated that agencies failing to honor this final notice would face sanctions in accordance with its statutory powers. Dankwambo added that formal letters detailing unresolved issues would be issued immediately to the defaulting agencies.
