Presidency to MDAs: Always respond to Senate invitations

The Presidency has told the Ministries, Departments and Agencies of the Federal Government to always respond to invitations by the Senate.

The Special Adviser to the President on Senate Matters, Senator Basheer Lado, made this position known to newsmen on Monday.

Lado, who spoke at a news conference in Abuja on Monday, said there was the need to enhance executive-legislative cooperation in line with the vision of President Bola Tinubu.

He said a critical part of realising the vision involved a proactive, respectful and transparent relationship between government bodies and the Senate in its oversight roles.

He said: “My office has noted with concern that some agencies may not have consistently adhered to Senate invitations or requests for them to appear before its committees.

“While we acknowledge that competing official engagements may sometimes make it challenging to respond promptly, it remains essential that these opportunities for engagement are prioritised to demonstrate our continued collective commitment to accountability and good governance.” 

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Lado said engaging with Senate committees was an important opportunity for agencies to showcase their dedication to public service and accountability, while reinforcing the people’s confidence in the government.

He said the response of MDAs to invitations of Senate committees aligned not only with constitutional obligations, but the President’s vision of a government that is responsive and accountable to the Nigerian people.

He reaffirmed the importance of close and constructive collaboration between ministries, extra ministerial departments and agencies and the National Assembly as cornerstone for good governance and accountability.

He said: “This cooperation is not only a constitutional imperative, but also essential to achieving the bold vision of the President in delivering rapid and transformative benefits to all Nigerians.”

Lado said that the Tinubu-led administration was fully committed to upholding the principles of transparency, accountability, adding that the “Renewed Hope Agenda” was built to deliver tangible democracy dividends to Nigerians without delay.

He pledged his commitment to strengthening partnership between the executive and legislative arms of government always, stressing that this would be instrumental to delivering government’s promises to the nation.

“The Office of the Special Adviser on Senate Matters is committed to facilitating open channels of communication between agencies and the national assembly to ensure meaningful contributions to our shared mission of national development,” he said.