THE House of Representatives Committee on Federal Character has strongly condemned what it described as the continued disregard for the constitutional authority of the National Assembly by the Executive Chairman of the Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS), Dr. Zacch Adedeji.
News Point Nigeria reports that the committee also ordered the immediate suspension of recruitment by the NRS and threatened to invoke Sections 88 and 89 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) to enforce its oversight powers if the revenue service chairman continues to disregard its directives.
Section 88 of the Constitution empowers both chambers of the National Assembly to conduct investigations aimed at exposing corruption, inefficiency or waste in government, while Section 89 grants lawmakers the authority to compel testimony, summon witnesses and issue warrants where necessary.
At its meeting on Wednesday at the National Assembly in Abuja, the committee, chaired by Hon. Ahmed Idris Wase, said its latest directive followed the persistent refusal of the NRS chairman to honour legislative summons.
The committee disclosed that in a letter dated July 15, 2026, titled “Request for Nominal Roll/Invitation to Meeting,” it requested Dr. Adedeji to submit a comprehensive and up-to-date nominal roll of the Nigeria Revenue Service and also invited him to appear before the committee on Wednesday. However, the NRS chairman failed to attend the meeting.
According to the committee, the latest invitation followed a series of previous communications sent to the NRS chairman, all of which were acknowledged by his office.
The committee listed seven earlier letters dated October 13, 2023; November 7, 2023; March 14, 2024; July 3, 2024; July 16, 2024; and April 1, 2026, with reference number NASS/HR/CT.40/03/14, accusing the NRS boss of repeatedly failing to respond appropriately despite acknowledging receipt of the correspondence.
The lawmakers noted that the ongoing disagreement with the Nigeria Revenue Service extends beyond the chairman’s refusal to honour invitations and also involves controversial recruitment waivers allegedly granted to the agency by the Federal Character Commission (FCC).
The committee recalled that it had expressly directed the Federal Character Commission not to grant any approvals or waivers to the Nigeria Revenue Service concerning recruitment.
Also absent from Wednesday’s meeting was the Chairman of the Federal Character Commission, Hon. Hulayat Motunrayo Omidiran.
In a message to the committee, Omidiran attributed her absence to official travel and subsequent illness.
However, the lawmakers observed that the FCC chairman’s latest absence followed several previous invitations and official communications that she also failed to honour, describing the repeated absence as unacceptable and inconsistent with the standards of accountability expected of public office holders.
The committee further described the Federal Character Commission’s decision to grant recruitment waivers to the Nigeria Revenue Service as a direct affront to the constitutional oversight responsibilities of the House of Representatives and a disturbing disregard for the authority vested in the National Assembly by the Nigerian people.
Consequently, the committee directed the FCC to immediately suspend all recruitment activities being undertaken by the Nigeria Revenue Service until the agency’s leadership appears before the committee to account for its actions and comply with the constitutional oversight process.
Chairman of the committee, Hon. Ahmed Idris Wase, said the House of Representatives would not stand by while public institutions selectively obey constitutional directives.
He stressed that legislative oversight is neither optional nor a matter of convenience for heads of government agencies.
“The National Assembly is the voice of the Nigerian people. Its constitutional oversight powers are not symbolic. They are binding instruments of accountability. No agency, commission, or public official is above the Constitution or beyond the reach of parliamentary oversight,” Wase stated.
The committee warned that the persistent refusal of public officials to honour invitations from the House of Representatives sets dangerous precedents, erodes public confidence in democratic governance and undermines the constitutional system of checks and balances that protects Nigeria’s democracy.
It reiterated its determination to deploy every constitutional and legislative mechanism available to ensure compliance with its lawful directives and to safeguard the integrity of the oversight responsibilities entrusted to it by the Nigerian people.
Meanwhile, sources within the National Assembly said the NRS chairman’s continued refusal to appear before the committee may be connected to what they described as gross violations of existing rules governing previous recruitment exercises conducted by the service.
The sources referenced an investigative report published by Daily Trust on January 30, 2026, titled “Revenue Service Appointments Flout New Law,” which alleged that the appointments of five out of the six Executive Directors of the Nigeria Revenue Service violated Part IV, Section 17(1) of the Nigeria Revenue Service (Establishment) Act.
According to the law, each Executive Director must represent a specific geopolitical zone, while the Executive Chairman and an Executive Director must not come from the same state.
The newspaper’s investigation reportedly found that this statutory requirement was breached in five of the appointments.
Following the alleged violations, an Abuja-based non-governmental organisation, the Incorporated Trustees of Patriotic Youth Organisations of Nigeria, instituted a suit before an Abuja High Court challenging the legality of the appointments of the affected Executive Directors.
The organisation is seeking an order restraining the affected officials from performing the functions of Executive Directors or presenting themselves as such pending the determination of the substantive suit.
The President, the Attorney General of the Federation and the Nigeria Revenue Service were listed as defendants in the case.