Growing up during President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s tenure as the governor of Lagos State, one of the events that marked his administration was the ‘One-Day Governor’ event.
It was a day when a public school student who emerged as the overall best in a competition got to act as the governor of Lagos State for 24 hours.
It was a moment when every child took interest in governance and politics in the state, especially as the Lagos State-owned television station projected the child throughout the day.
After the 24-hour tenure expired, most of the children were awarded scholarships and other privileges.
Some past recipients include Chukwuebuka Anisiobi, Otiti Jasmine, and Emmanuel Oluwambepelumi Aiyenitaju, amongst others, as profiled on Newerafoundation.org.
Last week, the Senate experienced a similar scenario when Peter Nwaebonyi, deputy whip, had his reign as the one-day chairman of the Public Accounts Committee.
Although Nwaebonyi is the vice-chairman of the committee, he hadn’t caused much of a stir until the day of the Police budget defence.
When Kayode Egbetokun, Inspector General of Police, began his 2025 budget presentation, he was interrupted by a member of the House of Representatives, Mark Esset (Akwa Ibom), who pointed out that the IGP’s presentation details were not reflected in the documents provided to lawmakers.
Nwaebonyi quickly escalated the issue, expressing frustration over not receiving the same document the IGP was referencing.
“We are here to serve Nigerians, and Nigerians should see us as a serious institution,” Nwaebonyi stated, emphasizing the need for accurate documentation.
Efforts to clarify the situation were disrupted by a heated exchange, particularly after Abubakar Yalleman, chairman of the House Committee on Police Affairs, overruled Nwaebonyi’s Point of Order and allowed the IGP to continue.
This decision further angered the senator, who stormed out of the session amid jeers from House members. Finally, last Tuesday, it was Nwaebonyi’s turn to own the show and perhaps, have his pound of flesh.
With Ahmed Wadada, chairman of the committee, absent, Senator Abdul Ningi chaired the investigative hearing as the most senior member present.
Ningi welcomed Egbetokun warmly, with gestures of goodwill, more like receiving an old friend as a guest.
After taking the oath and apologising to the Senate for initially not honoring their invitation, Egbetokun nominated and left Suleiman Abdul, the Assistant Inspector General of Police in charge of Public Accounts and Budget, in the good hands of Ningi and other senators, as he had received permission to attend to other national matters.
Just as the hearing with the AIG was about to commence, Nwaebonyi walked into the session.
This prompted Ningi to vacate the chairman’s seat for him as the vice-chairman of the committee.
Immediately, the deputy whip took absolute charge of the session.
He opened the Auditor-General’s query and began grilling the AIG and his team from every angle.
When the issue of 3,907 missing assault rifles, many of which were AK-47s, was raised, Nwaebonyi intensified his questioning.
According to the Auditor-General’s report, “The total number of lost firearms as of December 2018 stood at 178,459, out of which 88,078 were AK-47 rifles.
However, as of January 2020, based on a thorough audit, 3,907 assault rifles and pistols across different police formations could not be accounted for.”
This led to a bombardment of questions from lawmakers led by Nwaebonyi, who demanded an account of each firearm, meticulously taking notes in his notebook.
He stopped after reaching number 15 when other senators complained that the process would take the entire day.
Overwhelmed by the barrage of questions, AIG Abdul requested a closed-door session, which was rejected by the majority of the committee members, including Senator Adams Oshiomhole and Senator Joel Onawakpo-Thomas.
Unfortunately, the AIG could only account for 15 out of the 3,907 missing assault rifles.
According to him, 14 were lost through personnel killed in active service, and one was lost in 1998. This further infuriated the committee members.
Ningi repeatedly attempted to calm Nwaebonyi down and supported the call for a closed-door session, but Nwaebonyi refused.
After several failed attempts, Ningi angrily left the session, subtly signaling his disapproval.
Despite Ningi’s exit, Nwaebonyi continued, ensuring he was positioned well for cameras and good video footage.
His aggressive approach led to the cancellation of the earlier scheduled three-day investigative hearing involving various ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs).
Sources within the Senate revealed that the chairman had informed the MDAs originally slated for Wednesday and Thursday to appear on Tuesday when he would have returned.
This information was unknown to Nwaebonyi, who showed up at the committee room alongside Onawakpo, waiting for hours with no MDAs in sight.
A clear indication that Nwaebonyi had been sidelined was the absence of other committee members, suggesting they had been pre-informed of the rescheduled hearing.
Following the session with the police, Egbetokun wrote to the Senate requesting that the investigation be conducted behind closed doors due to national security concerns.
In response, Senate President Godswill Akpabio dismissed reports on the missing firearms.
“There was clear misinformation on the issue of missing firearms, and I think the IGP’s letter is very clear.
“The investigation is ongoing internally by the police, and further investigation will also be conducted by the Senate Committee.
“But this is to inform the general public that the information brought out on that day was totally false and inaccurate.”
However, it remains unclear whether Akpabio was referring to the Auditor-General’s report or the media’s accurate coverage of the event.
The clash between Nwaebonyi and the police was a rare sight, as most hearings in recent times are not usually this intense, especially in the public eye.
But what remains unclear is whether Nwaebonyi’s actions stemmed from a newfound commitment to transparency and accountability—or a personal vendetta for the humiliation he suffered during the police budget defence session.
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