Senator Sumaila Seeks Senate Probe into Controversial Agency’s Inclusion in 2025 Budget
By Raphael Ekpang
Kano State Senator, Sulaiman Kawu Sumaila, representing Kano South Senatorial District, has urged the Nigerian Senate to carry out a thorough investigation into the inclusion of a controversial agency in the 2025 Appropriation Act, insisting that those responsible for facilitating its insertion into the national budget must be identified in the interest of transparency, accountability and the integrity of Nigeria’s budgetary process.
The lawmaker made the call while briefing journalists at the National Assembly after raising the matter on the floor of the Senate under Orders 9 and 9(c) of the Senate Standing Orders as a matter of privilege.
According to Senator Sumaila, his concern is not with the Executive’s ongoing investigation into the agency, but with establishing whether the National Assembly played any role in approving or inserting the 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.
The senator explained that, under the Constitution, the National Assembly has the authority to amend appropriation proposals submitted by the Executive by making additions, deductions or other adjustments before passage into law.
He stressed that the Senate must establish the origin of the budgetary provision.
“There are only two possible sources. 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.
Senator Sumaila urged the Senate leadership to direct the appropriate committees, particularly the Committees on Appropriations and Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, to investigate the circumstances surrounding the allocation.
He noted that while President Bola Tinubu had already ordered the Executive to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the matter, the legislature also has an independent constitutional responsibility to examine its own role in the budget 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 from journalists on the Senate’s reaction to his intervention, Senator Sumaila clarified that he invoked Order 9(c) because it provides a privileged avenue for bringing issues of urgent national importance before the Senate.
He explained that although the Senate did not proceed to debate or adopt the proposal as a motion, the objective of formally notifying the chamber 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 accountability in the appropriation process is essential to preserving public confidence in governance, stressing that Nigerians deserve to know how the controversial agency found its way into the 2025 national budget and who was responsible for its inclusion.
