The House of Representatives Public Accounts Committee has expressed outrage over what it described as the repeated defiance and non-responsive attitude of the Accountant-General of the Federation (AGF), Mr. Shamseldeen Babatunde Ogunjimi, warning that he could face constitutional and parliamentary sanctions if he fails to honour its latest invitation.

The committee, chaired by Rep. Bamidele Salam, issued what it described as a final summons to the Accountant-General during its sitting on Tuesday, directing him to appear in person before the panel on Monday, July 13, 2026.

The lawmakers faulted the AGF for repeatedly failing to honour invitations and for not providing critical documents required for the committee to carry out its constitutional oversight responsibilities.

Speaking during the session, Salam said the committee was deeply concerned by what he described as the Accountant-General’s lack of diligence in rendering the accounts of his office and preparing Nigeria’s consolidated financial statements.

“The Public Accounts Committee is equally worried that the Accountant-General is not showing any diligence in the rendering of accounts of his office and the preparation of the country’s consolidated financial statements, thus setting a bad example for other agencies of government,” he said.

According to the committee chairman, several correspondences sent to the Office of the Accountant-General over the past few months have either been ignored or inadequately responded to, despite the constitutional responsibility of the office to cooperate with the National Assembly in the discharge of its oversight functions.

“The Office of the Accountant-General occupies a strategic position in Nigeria’s public financial management system. As a critical institution entrusted with the management of public finances, it is expected to work closely with the committee in the discharge of its oversight responsibilities. Unfortunately, the current Accountant-General has not demonstrated the level of cooperation expected of the office,” Salam stated.

He maintained that the Accountant-General’s conduct fell short of the standard expected of the nation’s chief accounting officer, stressing that effective collaboration between the Office of the Accountant-General and the Public Accounts Committee is indispensable to ensuring transparency, accountability and prudent management of public funds.
Salam reaffirmed the committee’s determination to enforce compliance with legislative oversight, stressing that no public official or institution is above accountability to the Nigerian people through their elected representatives.

He warned that should the Accountant-General fail to appear as directed, the committee would invoke all constitutional and parliamentary measures available to compel compliance.
In a related development, the committee also issued final invitations to six Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) whose accounting officers have repeatedly failed to honour previous invitations.

The affected agencies are the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), the Federal Cooperative College, Ibadan, the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria (CRIN), the Federal Ministry of Education, the Federal Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology, and the Federal Ministry of Police Affairs.

The committee directed the accounting officers of the agencies, and the permanent secretaries in the case of the ministries, to appear before it without fail on Monday, July 13, 2026.

Salam cautioned that the committee would not hesitate to deploy every constitutional and parliamentary instrument available to enforce compliance by any public institution or official that continues to disregard invitations from the National Assembly.

He reiterated the committee’s commitment to strengthening transparency, accountability and sound public financial management in line with its constitutional mandate, insisting that legislative oversight remains critical to safeguarding public resources and promoting good governance.