Senate demands sanction for heads of MDAs absent at MTEF/FSP meeting

The Senate on Thursday urged President Bola Tinubu to sanction invited heads of Ministries, Department and Agency (MDAs) who failed to appear for deliberations on the 2024-2026 Medium Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper (FSP).

The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, made the call when he declared open the 2024-2026 MTEF/FSP interactive session in Abuja.

The session was organised by Senate Joint Committee on Finance, Appropriation, National Planning, and Local and Foreign Debt.

Akpabio said serious-minded heads of MDAs interested in the success of President Tinubu ought to be present at the session.

He said: “If you do not plan on how to succeed, then you have planned to fail. I, therefore, remind our committee that 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.

READ ALSO: Akpabio threatens to punish civil servants, MDAs who refuse to comply with Senate resolutions

“The chairman of the lead committee (finance), should give me the list of all the heads of agencies that you invited who have failed to show up in this session. This is the beginning of their failure in their various offices.

“Any head of the 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. I shelved even my appointment to appear in Owerri today for the final rally of my party and all other schedules that I have to make sure that I appear so that we can strategise on how we can succeed.”

The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, Sani Musa, said the MTEF/FSP document was a roadmap that charts the country’s economic and financial course for the upcoming years.

“Our role as legislators in shaping the MTEF/FSP is not only a constitutional obligation but a moral imperative to our constituents who look to us for guidance and leadership in safeguarding their economic interests,” he stated.

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now