Senate seeks sanctions against MDAs for ignoring resolutions
The Senate has recommended budgetary and other sanctions against Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) that fail to implement its resolutions, citing persistent disregard for legislative directives by several government institutions.
The recommendation followed the presentation and adoption of the report of the Senate Committee on Legislative Compliance on the implementation of Senate resolutions between July 2023 and December 2025.
Presenting the report during plenary, Chairman of the committee, Senator Garba Maidoki, said the panel reviewed 27 referrals arising from Senate motions and committee reports within the period.
Maidoki lamented that the implementation of Senate resolutions had often been delayed or completely ignored, with many MDAs failing to submit compliance reports despite repeated requests from the committee.
According to him, although the executive has the authority to issue directives for implementing Senate resolutions, several agencies have consistently failed to comply, thereby undermining the National Assembly’s oversight responsibilities.
The lawmaker noted that some ministries and agencies failed to implement resolutions on road rehabilitation and disaster management because the projects were not captured in the annual budget.
He also cited the case of Eromonsele Omhonria, a child allegedly shot in the eye by an officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, saying the agency had yet to secure funding for the child’s medical treatment abroad.
Maidoki further criticised some government agencies for refusing to comply with Senate resolutions directing the reinstatement of disengaged workers. He specifically mentioned the Nigerian Railway Corporation for failing to reinstate a former employee, Engr. Paddy Ukpe, despite repeated interventions by the committee.
He added that similar compliance issues were recorded with the Nigerian Army over the reinstatement of some affected officers.
The committee also observed that some agencies lacked the statutory powers to implement certain Senate resolutions, while some motions were introduced without adequate investigation. It further noted that the inclusion of multiple prayers in some motions had complicated their implementation.
To improve compliance, the committee recommended budgetary and other sanctions against MDAs that fail to respond to or implement Senate resolutions.
The affected institutions include the Federal Ministries of Works, Health, Power, Petroleum Resources, Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Information, Environment, and Solid Minerals Development, as well as the Department of State Services, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, Federal Inland Revenue Service, Federal Roads Maintenance Agency, Ecological Fund Office, Nigerian Railway Corporation, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Federal Civil Service Commission, and the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation.
The committee also recommended that Senate resolutions delayed by funding constraints should automatically be accommodated in the following year’s budget through the Appropriations Committee. It urged MDAs facing financial challenges to channel their requests through the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
In addition, the panel called on the executive to direct the NDLEA to explore alternative sources of funding for Omhonria’s medical treatment abroad and urged the SGF to compel the Nigerian Railway Corporation and other affected agencies to reinstate disengaged workers and pay all outstanding entitlements in line with Senate resolutions.
The Senate unanimously adopted the recommendations.
Speaking after the adoption, Senate President Godswill Akpabio described the report as unprecedented, noting that it was the first comprehensive legislative compliance report presented to the upper chamber since the return of democratic rule in 1999.
He urged senators to carefully study the report and utilise its findings to strengthen legislative oversight and ensure greater compliance with resolutions passed by the National Assembly.