The Nigerian Senate passed a resolution to issue a warrant of arrest against the Minister of Works, David Umahi; the Head of Service of the Federation, Mrs. Didi Esther Walson-Jack; and certain Chief Executives of public agencies. This action was taken due to their alleged failure to respond to multiple invitations to appear before the Senate's Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions.
The resolution followed complaints raised by Senator Neda Imasuen, representing Edo South and the Chairman of the committee. Speaking on the Senate floor, Imasuen expressed his frustration over what he termed a "disregard" for his committee’s summons by top government officials and agency heads. He noted that several invitations had been issued to the Minister of Works and the Head of Service, among others, regarding petitions filed against them by aggrieved individuals and organizations, yet these invitations had been repeatedly ignored.
In his motion, raised under Order 42 of the Senate's standing rules, Senator Imasuen urged the Senate to empower his committee to issue warrants of arrest for the non-compliant officials. He emphasized that appearances before the committee were crucial to ensuring justice and fairness in addressing the grievances presented in the petitions.
Responding to the motion, Senate President Godswill Akpabio granted Imasuen’s request. He reminded the Senate that the authority to issue such warrants is enshrined in Section 89 of the 1999 Constitution, which allows legislative bodies to compel the appearance of individuals before them.
"You already have the power as provided for by Section 89 of the 1999 Constitution. Please use it by issuing a warrant of arrest against any head of the agency refusing to appear before the public petition committee," Akpabio said. He further stressed that compliance with the Senate’s invitations was necessary to ensure transparency and accountability in handling public petitions.
Following the Senate's decision, fresh letters of invitation were reportedly sent to the affected officials, warning them that failure to appear would result in arrest warrants being issued. The Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions has expressed its readiness to enforce these measures should the officials continue to disregard the summons.
In addition to Minister Umahi and Mrs. Walson-Jack, the Chief Executives of several other public agencies face the risk of arrest. These agencies include Union Homes Savings and Loans Plc, Enugu Electricity Distribution Company (EEDC), and Sally Best Properties Limited.
This development marks a significant step by the Senate in asserting its oversight powers and ensuring that public officials and agency heads are held accountable for their actions, especially in matters concerning public petitions.
