Budget Defence: Senate rebukes agency heads, applauds security chiefs for timeliness

By Haruna Salami

The Senate on Wednesday, through its Committee on National Security and Intelligence, criticised heads of federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) for their habitual lateness to committee engagements.
However, the committee commended the leadership of the nation’s security and intelligence agencies for consistently arriving on time for such crucial sessions.
The Senate’s sharp remarks were made during a budget defence session with the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, and the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), among other security chiefs.
Expressing dissatisfaction with the recurring lateness of several agency heads, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu (Abia North) said the practice must end, stressing that the Senate would no longer tolerate such conduct.
He particularly noted that former senators or members of the National Assembly who now serve in the executive arm through appointments were among the worst offenders.
According to him, “We are pleased that the heads of the National Security and Intelligence agencies arrived for the budget defence session before the scheduled 11:00 a.m. commencement of the interface.
“However, the same cannot be said of many other agency heads, especially those led by former serving senators or members of the National Assembly.
“This is unacceptable. We are in a budget period that requires utmost seriousness from all stakeholders.
“Perennial latecomers often claim they were delayed due to engagements at the Presidential Villa, but we consider such excuses untenable.”
Aligning with Kalu’s position, the Chairman of the Committee, Senator Yahaya Abdullahi (Kebbi North), described the warning as a necessary wake-up call to all affected agencies.