Reps issue final summons to Accountant-General over snub, threaten sanctions

The Senate Committee on Regional Development yesterday queried the management and governing board of the North West Development Commission (NWDC) over the payment of about N943 million in board allowances, delayed appointment of Executive Directors (EDs) and persistent governance challenges threatening the commission’s operations.
 
In the House of Representatives, the Public Accounts Committee issued a “final summons” to the Accountant-General of the Federation, Shamseldeen Ogunjimi, over his repeated failure to honour invitations and submit documents required for the committee’s oversight functions.
 
At an investigative hearing with officials of the commission and the Federal Ministry of Regional Development, lawmakers expressed concern that the NWDC remains the only regional development commission without EDs, despite being among the first established by an Act of the National Assembly.
 
The committee warned that the prolonged leadership gap was undermining the commission’s mandate to tackle insecurity, infrastructure deficits and economic development across the North-West.
 
Minister of State for Regional Development, Uba Ahmadu, told lawmakers that the ministry had intervened to resolve the prolonged dispute over the commission’s headquarters in Kano, describing it as one of the major factors affecting the commission’s smooth take-off.

He explained that the commission had initially operated from offices donated by private organisations before disagreements emerged over which facility should serve as its headquarters.
 
According to the minister, the Kano State Government has provided a fully furnished office complex, operational vehicles and land for the commission, with the ministry directing that all other offices be shut after formally taking over the new facility last week.
 
“NWDC is the only commission that does not yet have executive directors. Every other regional commission has its full management structure in place. Something urgent must be done for the commission to function effectively,” Ahmadu said.
 
Lawmakers also scrutinised the commission’s financial records, questioning delays in convening board meetings and the justification for many official expenditures.
 
Responding, Chairman of the Governing Board, Abdullahi Lawal, defended the board’s activities, insisting they were fully backed by the North West Development Commission Act, 2024.
 
He said the board had held seven meetings—five regular and two emergency sessions—and adopted 63 resolutions establishing governance structures, operational guidelines, committee frameworks, budget templates and fund allocation principles for the seven North-West states.
 
The lawmakers also expressed concern over delays in staff recruitment and implementation of the commission’s capital budget, despite approvals reportedly granted months ago.
 
At the conclusion of the hearing, the committee resolved to move into a closed-door executive session to consider sensitive matters and receive additional clarifications from the ministry and commission officials.
 
The hearing is part of the Senate’s ongoing oversight of regional development commissions created to accelerate infrastructure development, economic recovery and peace-building across Nigeria’s six geo-political zones.

THE House committee, chaired by Bamidele Salam, decided on the summons at its sitting yesterday, where it directed the Accountant-General to appear in person on Monday, July 13, 2026.
 
Lawmakers expressed displeasure over the AGF’s “non-responsive” attitude, warning that the continued refusal to cooperate with the National Assembly undermines transparency and accountability in the management of public finances.
 
According to the House committee, many letters sent to the Office of the Accountant-General in recent months, seeking documents and requesting his appearance, had gone unanswered.
 
A statement issued by the committee’s media unit quoted Salam as saying that the panel was particularly disturbed by the Accountant-General’s lack of diligence in fulfilling the core responsibilities of his office.
 
He affirmed the committee’s determination to enforce legislative oversight, insisting that public officials are accountable to Nigerians through their elected representatives.
   
“No public officer or institution is above accountability to the Nigerian people through their elected representatives,” he said.
 
The committee also extended its invitation to six Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) whose chief accounting officers had allegedly ignored previous invitations.
 
Those directed to appear before the committee on July 13 are the Nigerian Meteorological Agency, the Federal Cooperative College, Ibadan, the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria, the Federal Ministry of Education, the Federal Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology, and the Federal Ministry of Police Affairs.
 
For the ministries, the committee directed the permanent secretaries to appear in person.