Senate asks Tinubu to sack MDA heads who shun budget sessions

The senate has asked President Bola Tinubu to sack any head of ministry, department, or agency (MDA) who fails to physically attend ongoing interactive sessions on the 2024-2026 medium-term expenditure framework and fiscal strategy paper (MTEF/FSP).

Senate President Godswill Akpabio made the call on Thursday while reading his opening speech at the formal opening of the interactive session.

The meeting is jointly organised by the senate committees on finance, appropriations, national planning, and local and foreign debts.

“If you don’t plan how to succeed then you have planned to fail. I, therefore, remind our committee that any serious appointee or any head of any agency that is interested in the success of President Bola Tinubu’s administration ought to be here,” Akpabio said.

“The chairman of the lead committee (finance), should give me the list of all the heads of agencies that you invited who have failed to show up in this session.

“This is the beginning of their failure in their various offices.

“Any head of agency that sends representation here is not a serious person and, therefore, the president must take a second look at such a person’s appointment.

“It is not a threat but the truth. I shelved even my appointment in Owerri today for the final rally of my party and all other schedules that I have, to make sure that I appear here so that we can strategise on how we can succeed.”

Akpabio also said borrowings for Nigeria could not be avoided but the current trend could not be sustained.

This, he said, underscored the importance of the MTEF/FSP interactive session — to map out strategies for more revenue generation for the government.

According to Akpabio, the 2024-2026 MTEF/FSP is being considered at a time when events on the global scene are putting massive negative financial and socio-economic pressure on Nigeria.

“Internationally, the intractable Russian-Ukraine war and the sudden Israeli-Palestine war are having international economic repercussions that have consequences for our economic outlook,” he said.

“In addition, we are in the throes of the immediate effects of needed reform in our foreign exchange system and the equally needed removal of subsidies on petroleum products.

“Coupled with the security challenges confronting the nation, there is no doubt that we must be painstaking and bold in economic projections and policies to stimulate employment and economic growth.

“While we acknowledge that the majority of our people are going through very difficult times in their daily lives at present, we are very hopeful that in the medium term and the long run, the Nigerian economy is bound to rebound for relief to the majority of our people.”

On his part, Sani Musa, chairman of the committee, representing All Progressives Congress (APC), Niger east, however, adjourned the interactive session till Monday, November 13, 2023.

Musa said this would allow the invited agencies to have more time to forward the required documents to the committee.

REPS ASK TINUBU TO ORDER MDA HEADS TO HONOUR INVITATIONS

Similarly, on Thursday, the house of representatives urged Tinubu to give marching orders to all his ministers and MDA heads to appear before relevant standing committees to defend the submissions on the 2024-2026 MTEF/FSP.

James Faleke, chairman of house committee on finance, gave the charge after the committee issued a 24-hour ultimatum to Joseph Ari, director-general of the Industrial Training Fund (ITF), or be removed from office.

“The house at plenary referred MTEF to us and in compliance with the laws we wrote letters to all the agencies to appear before us to defend their submissions,” he said.

“Unfortunately it is clear that these agencies are ignoring or have ignored our invitations.

“And the house must pass this MTEF before the budget is laid. So, we want to make it clear that any delay arising for the passage of MTEF is surely not the fault of the national assembly.

“And so, we appeal to the President to direct all his ministers and agencies to appear before us unfailingly.”

Earlier, members of the committee had unanimously resolved to step down the engagement of some directors delegated to represent Ari.

While ruling, Faleke said: “The letter was signed by the DG, which means he ignored our invitation to attend other functions.”

“It’s a complete affront to the national assembly. He must appear here tomorrow (Friday) by 11 am, must by 11am.”

He added that if he fails to appear, he will be removed from the position.