Politics
Reps Summon NIMASA, NPA, Customs, Others
The House of Representatives ad hoc committee on Disposal of Public Property, yesterday, summoned the Director-General, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, Bashir Jamoh; the Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority, Mohammed Koko; and the Comptroller General, Nigerian Customs, Adewale Adeniyi, to defend the auctioning of some public properties by the agencies.
The chairman of the committee, who is also the House leader, Julius Ihonvbere, issued the summon at the resumed hearing of the panel.
The committee is investigating the illegal auctioning of government properties by various ministries and agencies.
He said, “NIMASA and NPA seem to have a notorious tendency not to respond to invitations from the parliament. And we are not going to tolerate this.
“The Nigeria Customs had a tendency not to honour our invitations in the 9th Assembly. But this Assembly will not allow that. I advise the CG of Customs to get in touch with the clerk of the committee and get a date to appear and give us the required documents and information.
“Also, the Ministry of Water resources, there is no representative from the ministry here. It is a very bad way to start with an administration that is out to change the course of things and improve the lot of Nigerians. I will advise the permanent secretary to get in touch with the clerk of this committee and get a new date.
Continuing, Ihonvbere said, “I have a feeling some of them think that what we are doing here is a joke but by the time they discover that it is not a joke, it will be too late.
Earlier, the panel rejected the presentation from the Nigerian Railway Corporation, which was represented by its liaison officer, Mr. Pascal Nnolie, and that of the Ogun-Osun River Basin Development Authority, represented by the MD, Engr. Babalola Olatunji.
Dismissing the submission from NRC, Ihonvbere said, “The documents before me are that of 2015 and 2016 earlier submitted to the committee on public accounts of the House.
“With due respect to your MD, this is an insult to this committee and the parliament. You can’t give us documents of 2016 to work with here. The committee is rejecting this presentation. Take them back to your MD and let him show respect to the committee and re-present it in 48 hours.”
To the MD of the Ogun- Osun River Basin, the chairman said, “You people should be careful with the kind of documents you bring to the National Assembly, knowing that you’re under oath.
“It is the view of the committee that your report does not follow the outline in the letter addressed to you. We will step down this report and allow you to go and do a thorough job and send a fresh report within 48 hours.”
The committee, however, commended the MD of the Lower Benue River Basin Development Authority, Engr. Mohammed Adara for his presentation.
The Senate yesterday received the 2026-2028 Medium Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper from President Bola Tinubu, marking the formal launch of the 2026 federal budget cycle.
In a letter addressed to the upper chamber, Tinubu said the submission complies with statutory requirements and sets out the fiscal parameters that will guide the preparation of the 2026 Appropriation Bill.
He explained that the MTEF/FSP outlines the macroeconomic assumptions, revenue projections, and spending priorities that will shape Nigeria’s fiscal direction over the next three years.
The letter was read during plenary by the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Barau Jibrin (APC, Kano North), who urged lawmakers to expedite consideration of the document.
“It is with pleasure that I forward the 2026 to 2028 Medium-Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper for the kind consideration and approval of the Senate.
“The 2026 to 2028 MTEF and FSP were approved during the Federal Executive Council meeting of December 3, 2025, and the 2026 budget of the Federal Government will be prepared based on the parameters and fiscal assumptions therein,” the President stated.
Last week, the Federal Executive Council approved the fiscal projections, pegging the oil benchmark price at $64.85 per barrel and adopting a budget exchange rate of ?1,512/$1 for 2026—figures expected to significantly shape revenue forecasts and expenditure planning.
After reading the President’s letter, Jibrin referred the document to the Senate Committee on Finance, chaired by Senator Sani Musa (APC, Niger East), with a directive to submit its report by Wednesday, December 17.
The Senate adjourned shortly after to allow committees to commence scrutiny of the fiscal framework and continue the ongoing screening of ambassadorial nominees.
Tinubu’s communication to the Senate came less than 24 hours after he transmitted the same MTEF/FSP documents to the leadership of the House of Representatives.
The letter was read on the House floor by the Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, who also urged timely legislative action as required by law.
The MTEF and FSP are statutory instruments mandated by the Fiscal Responsibility Act and serve as the blueprint for Nigeria’s annual budgets.
They outline the government’s fiscal stance, macroeconomic assumptions, revenue frameworks, projected deficits, and sectoral priorities over a three-year period.
The Tide reports that approval by the National Assembly is a prerequisite for the executive to present the Appropriation Bill for the next fiscal year.
In a statement on Saturday, the former Senate Leader stated that the allocation of nominees across states and geopolitical zones falls short of the constitutional requirement for fair representation in the composition of the Federal Government.
The ex-Senate Whip warned that allowing the list to pass could deepen ethnic suspicion at a time when the administration should be consolidating national unity.
He highlighted disparities in the spread of nominees, noting that while some states have three or four slots, others have none. He also cited the inclusion of Senator Adamu Garba Talba from Yobe, who reportedly died in July.
“The entire North-East states have seven nominees in the list. Further checks revealed that the South-West geo-political zone has 15 nominees, while North-West and South-East have 13 and 9, respectively.
“North-Central region has 10 nominees in the list of career and non-career ambassadorial nominee while South-South parades 12 nominees,” Senator Ndume said.
According to him, such imbalances could heighten tensions and undermine Section 14(3) of the Constitution.
“My sincere appeal to President Tinubu is to withdraw this list. At this critical juncture in his administration, he should avoid missteps that could undermine national unity and foster ethnic distrust.
“I know him to be a cosmopolitan leader who is at home with every segment and stakeholder in the country. He should withdraw that list and present a fresh set of nominees that will align with the spirit of the Constitution on the Federal Character Principle,” Senator Ndume added.
He accused the legislators of undermining the sanctity of the legislature and acting as instruments of destabilization.
“The members of the Rivers State House of Assembly have, by their actions since they assumed office, shown that they are political puppets and a clog in the wheels of democratic progress,” Comrade Ememobong stated, adding that “They will go down in history as enemies of democracy and those who made mockery of the legislature.”
“So the easiest way to describe their action is a defection from APC to APC,” he said.
Comrade Ememobong announced that the party would deploy constitutional provisions to reclaim its mandate from those who have “ignobly and surreptitiously” abandoned the platform on which they were elected.
“Consequently, the PDP will take legal steps to activate the provision of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (1999 as amended) to recover the mandate gained under the banner of our party which these people have now switched to another platform,” he said.
He urged party members in Rivers State to remain calm and steadfast.
“We urge all party members in Rivers State to remain faithful and resolute, as efforts are underway to rebuild the party along the path of inclusiveness, fairness and equity,” Comrade Ememobong assured.
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