Reps Give Accountant-General Final Deadline To Appear

The House of Representatives Public Accounts Committee has given the Accountant-General of the Federation (AGF), Shamseldeen Babatunde Ogunjimi, a final deadline to appear before it, accusing him of repeatedly ignoring invitations and failing to provide key financial documents required for legislative oversight.

The committee, chaired by Hon. Bamidele Salam, directed the Accountant-General to appear in person on Monday, July 13, 2026, warning that it would not hesitate to invoke its constitutional powers should he fail to honour the summons.

Lawmakers expressed concern over what they described as the AGF’s nonchalant attitude towards the committee’s oversight responsibilities, saying his repeated absence was unbecoming of the nation’s chief accountant.

According to Salam, despite several letters sent to the Office of the Accountant-General in recent months, Ogunjimi has consistently failed to appear before the committee or adequately respond to requests for critical documents needed to carry out its constitutional mandate.

“The Public Accounts Committee is equally 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, thereby setting a bad example for other agencies of government,” Salam said.

He noted that the Office of the Accountant-General occupies a central position in Nigeria’s public financial management system and is expected to work closely with the National Assembly in promoting accountability and transparency in the management of public funds.

“The current Accountant-General has not demonstrated the level of cooperation expected of the office,” he added.

Salam stressed that no public officer or institution is above legislative oversight, reaffirming the committee’s determination to enforce accountability on behalf of Nigerians.

In a related development, the committee also issued final invitations to six Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) whose accounting officers have repeatedly failed to honour previous summons.

The affected MDAs are the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NiMet), the Federal Cooperative College, Ibadan, the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria (CRIN), the Federal Ministry of Education, the Federal Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology, and the Federal Ministry of Police Affairs.

The committee directed the accounting officers of the agencies, and the permanent secretaries of the affected ministries, to appear before it on the same date—Monday, July 13.

Salam warned that the committee would deploy all constitutional and parliamentary measures available to compel compliance from any public institution or official that fails to honour its invitations.

He reiterated the committee’s commitment to strengthening transparency, accountability and prudent management of public resources in line with its constitutional mandate.