The House of Representatives Ad Hoc Committee investigating the alleged establishment and operations of the Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC) has issued a final warning to federal ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) that failed to honour its summons, threatening to compel their appearance.
Chairman of the committee, Yusuf Gagdi, gave the warning on Tuesday, describing the absence of the affected agencies as a direct challenge to the constitutional oversight powers of the National Assembly.
He said the failure of the agencies to appear before the panel amounted to “a serious affront to the constitutional oversight powers of the House of Representatives and an unacceptable disregard for the authority of the Parliament, which represents the sovereign will of the Nigerian people.”
Gagdi reminded the agencies that invitations issued by committees of the House are legally binding under Sections 88 and 89 of the 1999 Constitution.
“It must be clearly understood that invitations issued by a duly constituted Committee of the House of Representatives are not matters of discretion. They are issued pursuant to the constitutional powers vested in the National Assembly under Sections 88 and 89 of the Constitution… Compliance is therefore a legal obligation, not an act of courtesy,” he said.
The committee directed all defaulting agencies to appear before it on Thursday with all relevant officials and documents requested in previous correspondence.
Describing the hearing as the final opportunity for voluntary compliance, Gagdi warned that any agency that failed to appear without lawful justification would face legal consequences.
“Thursday is the final opportunity for every defaulting agency to comply voluntarily with the lawful directives of this Committee,” he said.
He added that the committee would invoke all constitutional and statutory powers available to the House to compel compliance if necessary.
“Any ministry, department or agency that fails to appear without lawful justification will leave the committee with no alternative but to invoke every constitutional and statutory power available to the House of Representatives to compel compliance and ensure accountability,” Gagdi said.
He also warned that the committee “will not hesitate to recommend and pursue every sanction permitted by law against any person or institution that deliberately obstructs or frustrates this investigation.”
The lawmaker stressed that the investigation was aimed at uncovering the facts surrounding the activities of the PFIPC and protecting the integrity of public institutions, not targeting any individual or organisation.
“This investigation is in the national interest. It is not targeted at any individual or institution but is aimed at establishing the facts, protecting the integrity of public administration, safeguarding the rule of law, and ensuring that no public office or institution operates outside the framework of the Constitution and the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” he said.
Gagdi reaffirmed the committee’s commitment to conducting the investigation professionally and impartially, insisting that “no agency of government, regardless of its status or perceived influence, will be permitted to undermine the constitutional authority of the House of Representatives or frustrate the discharge of its legislative responsibilities.”
The warning comes as the committee continues its probe into the PFIPC, an organisation whose legal status has come under scrutiny following claims that it operated as a government agency without formal establishment.
At previous hearings, the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs told lawmakers it neither recognised the council nor had any official dealings with its alleged Director-General, Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi. The ministry also disclosed that the Office of the National Security Adviser had informed it that both the council and its alleged chief were unknown to the Federal Government.
The committee is expected to determine whether any public officials or institutions facilitated the activities of the organisation and recommend appropriate legislative or legal action.
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