Fire any appointees who declines N/Assembly’s invitation – Akpabio urges Tinubu

The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to dismiss any head of a government agency who refuses to respond to invitations from National Assembly committees.  This statement was made during the opening of a public hearing on the 2024–2026 Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and Fiscal Strategy Paper (FSP) at the Senate.

Akpabio conveyed this message at the Senate Joint Committees’ public hearing, which included Finance, Appropriations, National Planning and Economic Affairs, and Local and Foreign Debt. The purpose of the hearing was to scrutinize the fiscal document and engage with the chief executives of government-owned agencies to enhance the national revenue base.

He emphasized that any head of an agency failing to attend the session to discuss the federal government’s economic plans is unfit to lead such an agency and should be terminated from their position.

Akpabio stated, “Any serious appointee or any head of any agency that is interested in the success of President Bola Tinubu’s administration ought to be here. Any head of agency that sends representation here is not a serious person, and therefore the President must take a second look at such a person’s appointment; it is not a threat but the truth.”

He further highlighted the importance of personal commitment, mentioning that he himself adjusted his schedule to prioritize the hearing, underscoring its significance in strategizing for success.

The MTEF/FSP, once approved, will establish the parameters for preparing the budget for the following year. The federal government, in this framework, specified figures such as the price of crude oil, exchange rate, oil production, debt service, inflation, and GDP growth, with an estimated aggregate expenditure of N26.01 trillion for the 2024 budget. This includes statutory transfers, non-debt recurrent expenditure, debt service, as well as personnel and pension costs.