Senate President Godswill Akpabio called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to terminate the appointment of any head of a government agency that neglects invitations from National Assembly committees.
Daily Trust reports that Akpabio stated this during the opening of a public hearing on the 2024-2026 Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and Fiscal Strategy Paper (FSP) at the Senate.
The public hearing, organized by the Senate Joint Committees on Finance, Appropriations, National Planning and Economic Affairs, and Local and Foreign Debt, aimed to scrutinize the fiscal document with the chief executives of government-owned agencies to enhance the national revenue base.
The MTEF/FSP outlined key economic parameters, including a crude oil price of $73.96, an exchange rate at N700/$, oil production set at 1.78 million barrels per day, debt service of N8.25 trillion, inflation projected at 21 percent, and GDP growth at 3.76 percent.
The estimated aggregate expenditure for the 2024 budget is N26.01 trillion, covering statutory transfers of N1.3 trillion, non-debt recurrent expenditure of N10.26 trillion, debt service at N8.25 trillion, and N7.78 trillion allocated for personnel and pension costs.
Accentuating the importance of the session, Akpabio expressed that any serious presidential appointee desiring President Tinubu’s success should attend.
He insisted that any invited head of an agency failing to participate in discussions on the federal government’s economic blueprint should be relieved of their duties.
In his words, “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.”
He further instructed the committee chairman to provide a list of invited agency heads who failed to attend, asserting that their absence signifies the beginning of failure in their respective offices. Akpabio emphasized that the President should reconsider the appointment of such individuals, noting that this is not a threat but a reflection of reality.
