Patience has run out at the House of Representatives Public Accounts Committee, which has issued what it’s calling a final invitation to Accountant General of the Federation Shamseldeen Babatunde Ogunjimi, ordering him to appear in person on Monday, July 13, 2026, after months of no shows and unanswered document requests.
Committee Chairman Bamidele Salam told members at Tuesday’s sitting that Ogunjimi’s repeated absence, despite multiple letters sent over recent months, has left the panel unable to carry out basic oversight, with requests for critical documents going largely unanswered. Salam argued the accountant general has fallen short of the diligence expected in an office responsible for the country’s consolidated financial statements, calling the pattern of non cooperation disappointing and warning it sets a poor precedent for other agencies to follow, given that the office is constitutionally expected to work cooperatively with the committee overseeing public financial management. He said the committee intends to enforce strict compliance going forward, insisting no public official is above accountability to elected representatives.
The accountant general is not alone on the committee’s list. Six ministries, departments and agencies whose accounting officers have similarly ignored earlier invitations, the Nigerian Meteorological Agency, the Federal Cooperative College Ibadan, the Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria, and the Federal Ministries of Education, Innovation Science and Technology, and Police Affairs, have all been ordered to appear alongside their permanent secretaries on the same July 13 date. Salam warned that the committee will not hesitate to use every constitutional and legislative tool available to compel compliance from any institution or official that continues to ignore its summons, reaffirming the panel’s commitment to transparency and prudent management of public resources.
