The Senate Committee on Finance has directed the Inspector General of Police to mandate Hussaini Magaji, registrar general of the Corporate Affairs Commission, to appear before the committee in the next 24 hours to explain its financial accounts and defend the 2024 budget.
Sani Musa, Chairman of the committee, issued the directive during a session where senior officers from the commission were present, but the registrar was notably absent. The committee members, including the chairman, voiced their displeasure with the RG for repeatedly shunning its invitation for budget defence.
Ifeanyi Ubah, Senator representing Anambra, called for punitive measures against the RG to serve as a deterrent to others.
Bello Mandiya, Senator representing Katsina South Senatorial District, expressed frustration at the RG’s disdain for the Committee, wondering what he was hiding that made him scared.
“I think it’s disrespectful of the Registrar General of the Corporate Affairs Commission to shun this Committee for the third time. Even the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria appears before us to present a budget. Who is Registrar General of CAC that cannot appear before us?” He queried.
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Infuriated, the chairman of the committee invoked section 89 subsection 2 of the Constitution, which stipulates that “A summons or warrant issued under this section may be served or executed by any member of the Nigeria Police Force or by any person authorised in that behalf by the President of the Senate or the Speaker of the House of Representatives, as the case may require.”
The chairman said, “We gave a date to the CAC registrar he was not there, we gave him another date , he appeared at that date with the director of finance, and we saw discrepancies. We asked you (the directors present) to go and come back. Because of the excuse you gave, we said go and ammemd, and report back, you never did”, Sani said.
” I had course to ask the secretariat to send you a letter. You appeared here, and when you came, you said the RG just fell ill; I excused you, expecting you to return the documents we requested. I had course again to ask them to write to you, now you’re appearing again without the RG. You are the custodian of the finances of CAC; we saw discrepancies in how many entities we registered in this country, how much you were reporting then, and how much you’re taking us with levity.
“I am invoking section 89 subsection 2. I am directing the IGP to mandate the RG of CAC to appear before the committee of finance of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria within 24 hours,” he said
