Reps issue final summons to Accountant-General over snub, threaten sanctions

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The House of Representatives Public Accounts Committee has issued what it described as a final summons to the Accountant-General of the Federation, Shamseldeen Ogunjimi, over his repeated failure to honour invitations and submit documents required for the committee’s oversight functions.

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The committee, chaired by the lawmaker representing Osun, Bamidele Salam, took the decision at its sitting on Tuesday, directing the Accountant-General to appear in person on Monday, July 13, 2026.

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Lawmakers expressed displeasure over what they described as the AGF’s “non-responsive” attitude, warning that the continued refusal to cooperate with the National Assembly undermines transparency and accountability in the management of public finances.

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According to the committee, several letters sent to the Office of the Accountant-General in recent months, seeking documents and requesting the AGF’s appearance, had gone unanswered.

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A statement issued by the committee’s media unit quoted Salam as saying that the panel was particularly disturbed by the Accountant-General’s lack of diligence in fulfilling the core responsibilities of his office.

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“The Public Accounts Committee is worried that the Accountant-General is not showing any diligence in the rendering of accounts of his office and the preparation of the country’s consolidated financial statements, thus setting a bad example for other agencies of government,” the statement read in part.

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The lawmaker described the conduct of the country’s chief accountant as disappointing, stressing that the Office of the Accountant-General occupies a strategic position in Nigeria’s public financial management architecture and is expected to maintain a close working relationship with the legislature.

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“The Office of the Accountant-General occupies a strategic position in Nigeria’s public financial management system. As a critical institution entrusted with the management of public finances, it is expected to work closely with the Committee in the discharge of its oversight responsibilities. Unfortunately, the current Accountant-General has not demonstrated the level of cooperation expected of the office,” Salam lamented.

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He affirmed the committee’s determination to enforce legislative oversight, insisting that public officials are accountable to Nigerians through their elected representatives.

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“No public officer or institution is above accountability to the Nigerian people through their elected representatives,” he said.

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The committee also extended its invitation to six Ministries, Departments and Agencies whose chief accounting officers had allegedly ignored previous invitations.

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Those directed to appear before the committee on July 13 are the Nigerian Meteorological Agency, the Federal Cooperative College, Ibadan, the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria, the Federal Ministry of Education, the Federal Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology, and the Federal Ministry of Police Affairs.

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For the ministries, the committee directed the permanent secretaries to appear in person.

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Salam warned that the committee would not hesitate to invoke the constitutional powers available to the House of Representatives to compel compliance from any public institution or official that continued to disregard its invitations.

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The Public Accounts Committee is one of the National Assembly’s principal oversight bodies. It is responsible for scrutinising the accounts of ministries, departments and agencies using reports submitted by the Auditor-General for the Federation, with the aim of ensuring that public funds are properly accounted for and spent in accordance with the law.

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The latest summons comes amid renewed calls for greater transparency and accountability in the management of public finances, with lawmakers insisting that heads of government agencies must fully cooperate with legislative oversight as required by the Constitution.

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