By Our Reporter
ABUJA (PRECISE POST) – Senator Sulaiman Kawu Sumaila, representing Kano South Senatorial District, has called on the Senate to launch a thorough investigation into the inclusion of a controversial agency in the 2025 Appropriation Act, insisting that those responsible for its insertion must be identified to safeguard the integrity of Nigeria’s budget process.
Speaking with journalists at the National Assembly after raising the issue on the floor of the Senate under Orders 9 and 9(c) of the Senate Standing Orders as a matter of privilege, Sumaila said the probe was necessary to promote transparency, accountability and public confidence in governance.
The lawmaker clarified that his concern was separate from the ongoing executive investigation ordered by President Bola Tinubu, stressing that the legislature must determine whether it played any role in approving or inserting the agency’s budgetary allocation.
“My major concern is governance integrity. I discovered that an already controversial agency was included in the national budget. That is why I brought the matter before the Senate under a matter of privilege,” he said.
Sumaila noted that the Constitution empowers the National Assembly to amend appropriation proposals submitted by the executive through additions, deductions or other adjustments before passage.
According to him, there are only two possible sources of the controversial allocation.
“Either the proposal came from the executive or it originated from the National Assembly during the budget process. We need to know who facilitated its inclusion in the national budget,” he stated.
He urged the Senate leadership to direct the Committees on Appropriations and Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions to investigate the circumstances surrounding the agency’s inclusion in the budget.
While acknowledging that President Tinubu had already ordered a comprehensive executive investigation, the senator maintained that the National Assembly has an independent constitutional obligation to scrutinise its own role in the appropriation process.
“The President can order an investigation without seeking the approval of the National Assembly because he is constitutionally empowered to do so. My concern is different. I want to know who legalized or facilitated the inclusion of the agency in the budget, because that falls within our constitutional responsibility,” he said.
Responding to questions on the Senate’s reaction to his intervention, Sumaila explained that he invoked Order 9(c) because it provides lawmakers with an avenue to formally draw the attention of the Senate to matters of urgent national importance.
He noted that although the chamber did not debate or adopt his proposal as a motion, his objective had been achieved.
“A matter of privilege gives you the opportunity to communicate an important issue to the Senate. The Senate may decide whether or not to debate it. What is important is that I have formally notified the Senate that this matter deserves investigation,” he said.
The senator reiterated that ensuring accountability in the budget process is critical to preserving public trust in government, insisting that Nigerians deserve to know how the controversial agency found its way into the 2025 national budget and who was responsible for its inclusion.
