Senate President Godswill Akpabio has called upon President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to dismiss any head of a government agency who disregards invitations from National Assembly committees.
Akpabio made this request during the opening of a public hearing on the 2024–2026 Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and Fiscal Strategy Paper (FSP) held at the Senate on Thursday.
The public hearing was organized by the Senate Joint Committees on Finance, Appropriations, National Planning and Economic Affairs, as well as Local and Foreign Debt. Its purpose was to scrutinize the fiscal document alongside the chief executives of government-owned agencies to potentially enhance the national revenue base.
He emphasized that any head of an agency who fails to attend discussions concerning the federal government’s economic blueprint is unfit to lead that agency and should face termination.
Akpabio stated, “Any committed appointee or agency head concerned with the success of President Bola Tinubu’s administration should be present. The committee should provide me with a list of all the agency heads who were invited but failed to participate in this session.”
He further noted, “This marks the beginning of their failure in their respective roles. Therefore, I am delighted to see the Chairman of FIRS here. I have also observed the presence of the DG NIMASA and others. Any agency head who sends a representative is not displaying a serious commitment, and as such, the President should reconsider such an appointment. It’s not a threat, but a fact.”
Akpabio also underlined his dedication by rearranging his schedule to attend this event, even postponing his appointment in Owerri for his party’s final rally.
The approved MTEF/FSP lays the groundwork for the parameters used in preparing the budget for the next year. The federal government has set the price of crude oil at $73.96, an exchange rate of N700/$, oil production at 1.78 million barrels per day, debt service of N8.25 trillion, inflation at 21 percent, and GDP growth at 3.76 percent.
The estimated aggregate expenditure for the 2024 budget is N26.01 trillion, encompassing statutory transfers, non-debt recurrent expenditure, debt service, and personnel and pension costs.
