The House of Representatives Committee on Federal Character has threatened to invoke its constitutional powers against the Executive Chairman of the Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS), Dr Zacch Adedeji, over his repeated failure to honour invitations from the committee.
The lawmakers also directed the immediate suspension of the NRS recruitment exercise, citing concerns over alleged violations of the Federal Character principle and what they described as the agency’s disregard for legislative oversight.
At a meeting held on Wednesday at the National Assembly, the committee, chaired by Ahmed Idris Wase, criticised Adedeji for failing to appear before it despite several invitations and requests for official records relating to the agency’s workforce.
According to the committee, its latest invitation, contained in a letter dated July 15, 2026, requested the NRS chairman to submit the service’s updated nominal roll and appear before lawmakers to provide explanations on recruitment issues. However, Adedeji was absent from the meeting.
The committee said the latest correspondence followed at least seven earlier letters sent to the NRS between October 2023 and April 2026, all of which were acknowledged but allegedly not acted upon.
Lawmakers warned that if the agency continued to ignore their directives, they would invoke Sections 88 and 89 of the 1999 Constitution, which empower the National Assembly to investigate public institutions, summon public officials and compel the production of documents.
The committee also expressed displeasure with the Federal Character Commission (FCC), accusing it of granting recruitment waivers to the NRS despite an earlier directive instructing it not to approve any such requests.
FCC Chairman, Hulayat Omidiran, also failed to appear before the committee. In a message to lawmakers, she attributed her absence to official travel and illness.
The committee, however, described the repeated failure of the FCC leadership to honour its invitations as unacceptable and inconsistent with the accountability expected of public office holders.
It maintained that the commission’s decision to grant recruitment waivers to the NRS undermined the constitutional oversight responsibilities of the House of Representatives.
Consequently, the lawmakers directed the FCC to halt all ongoing recruitment by the Nigeria Revenue Service until the leadership of both agencies appears before the committee and provides the requested explanations.
Speaking after the meeting, Wase stressed that legislative oversight is a constitutional obligation that no government agency or public official can ignore.
“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,” he said.
He warned that continued refusal by heads of government agencies to honour invitations from the legislature could weaken democratic institutions and undermine public confidence in governance.
The committee reaffirmed its determination to utilise every constitutional mechanism available to enforce compliance with its directives.
The dispute comes amid wider concerns over previous recruitment and appointments within the Nigeria Revenue Service.
According to sources at the National Assembly, the committee’s concerns are linked to allegations that earlier appointments within the agency violated provisions of the Nigeria Revenue Service (Establishment) Act.
A newspaper investigation published in January alleged that five of the six Executive Directors appointed by the agency did not comply with Section 17(1) of the Act, which requires the positions to reflect Nigeria’s geopolitical balance and prohibits the Executive Chairman and an Executive Director from originating from the same state.
The appointments are also the subject of a pending suit before an Abuja High Court filed by the Incorporated Trustees of Patriotic Youth Organisations of Nigeria.
The group is seeking an order restraining the affected Executive Directors from performing their duties pending the determination of the substantive case, with the President, the Attorney General of the Federation and the Nigeria Revenue Service listed as defendants.