The Senate on Tuesday threatened to invoke its constitutional powers to force the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Brig. Gen. Muhammad Buba Marwa (retd.), and the National Security Adviser, Babagana Munguno, to appear before the Public Accounts Committee of the red chamber..
The Senate is currently scrutinising queries issued against the NDLEA and the office of the National Security Adviser by the office of the Auditor General for the Federation.
NDLEA has 11 queries of various infractions amounting to about N467m while the ONSA was expected to address a case of alleged diversion of N3.5bn meant for the National Automotive Design and Development Council, to acquire vehicles for military officers.
The Chairman, Senator Mathew Urhoghide expressed his anger over the alleged refusal of both Marawa and Munguno to appear before the SPAC.
Urhoghide said, We wrote to the NDLEA in 2018 to appear before us but they did not respond despite the fact that they acknowledge the letter.
“Another letter was written on February 1, 2021. Thereafter, they only sent written responses; they are supposed to appear physically, they acknowledge the letter and sent response on March 21.
“We wrote another letter to them on June 9th and scheduled the agency to appear before us on June 30, NDLEA refused to appear. We wrote another letter to the NDLEA for them to appear on September 29th and they also refused to appear.
“We don’t have reverence for personality. We advise them in their best interest to appear, we are warning them for the last time, we are going to use every constitutional means to force them to appear before us.
“We have the power to request for arrest warrant if that is what will bring them to the National Assembly to give the account of their stewardship to Nigerians.”
On the NSA, the chairman said, “The NSA should come and clarify, we do not have other issue directly with him, we implore him to send any person of competence or appear in person.”
The NDLEA had in response to the AuGF query through its Director of Media and Advocacy, Femi Babafemi, been reported to have said, “I have checked through all the relevant channels within the agency and nobody is aware or has received any such invitation from the Senate committee.
“I’m, however, aware that the issues raised had been adequately addressed by the previous leadership of the agency before the incumbent chairman came into office.”
Copyright PUNCH
