The Senate’s Public Accounts Committee (SPAC) has threatened to issue warrants of arrest to top Nigerian officials, including Inspector-General of Police Kayode Egbetokun, Central Bank Governor Yemi Cardoso, and Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) CEO Mele Kyari.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The officials have failed to appear before the committee to defend queries in several audit reports by the Office of the Auditor General of the Federation (AuGF). The SPAC, led by Chairman Ahmed Aliyu Wadada, has summoned the officials on multiple occasions, but they have repeatedly ignored these invitations.
Other officials at risk of arrest include Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) Chairman Zacch Adedeji and Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) Adewale Adeniyi. The SPAC chairman accused Adedeji of shunning eight invitations, describing the officials’ failure to appear as an affront on the National Assembly and an insult to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
“This is unacceptable,” Wadada said in a statement. “Nobody in Nigeria is above the law. We are all supposed to operate under the laws guiding our various engagements as citizens of Nigeria. If the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Bola Ahmed Tinibu, will set aside his enormous commitments as President to come to the National Assembly as a mark of respect to the Assembly, to present budget, I wonder how any appointee will think and feel that he is above the law or he is too busy to appear before the members of the people’s parliament.”
Wadada emphasized that the committee would not tolerate further disregard for its invitations. “From today, after this press briefing, whoever invitation is extended to and he or she refuses to appear before this all-important committee, warrant of arrest will be issued, and we will call on the President to disengage that person because the person does not share in the dreams of Mr. President to and for making Nigeria a better place,” he said.