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The House of Representatives erupted into a tense and chaotic session on Wednesday as lawmakers clashed over the appropriate procedure for handling a damning Public Accounts Committee (PAC) report alleging that the Central Bank of Nigeria failed to remit about N16 trillion in government revenues.
The uproar began shortly after the PAC Chairperson, Bamidele Salam, informed the chamber that the CBN had ignored multiple invitations to clarify huge discrepancies uncovered in its management of the Remita revenue collection system and operating surpluses spanning several years.
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Mr Salam sought the leave of the House to invite the CBN Governor, Olayemi Cardoso, to appear before the chamber at plenary to address the revelations.
However, several lawmakers immediately opposed the proposal, insisting that a different process should be adopted.
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While some argued that the matter should be handled by an ad-hoc committee, others demanded a formal summons directing the CBN Governor to appear before the PAC rather than the full House.
A third group pushed for the governor to face the Committee of the Whole, citing the magnitude of the alleged unremitted funds.
Tension boils over
The disagreement quickly escalated into a shouting match. Members rose from their seats, gesticulating and arguing across party lines as order broke down.
The Chief Whip, Usman Kumo, and the Minority Whip made repeated attempts to pacify agitated members, moving from row to row to calm tempers, but their efforts barely made a dent.
Speaker Abbas Tajudeen repeatedly hit his gavel and appealed for decorum, describing the conduct as “very unparliamentary”. He warned that persistent disorderliness could lead to disciplinary action.
“We are honourable members; we do not have to be shouting as if we are in the market,” the speaker said. “If someone brings an unpopular amendment, allow him to land. At the end, it will be put to question. Shouting does not take away your right.
“If you continue this behaviour, believe me sincerely, we will take you to Ethics. I do not want to set an example in this House, but you are forcing me.”
The speaker stressed that Nigerians were watching and that the House must conduct itself with dignity.
Motion to summon CBN Governor passes
After several minutes of heated exchanges, a lawmaker from Borno, Ahmed Jaha, moved a motion that the CBN Governor and all relevant stakeholders be summoned to appear before the Public Accounts Committee, with sanctions to follow if they fail to comply. The motion was adopted through a voice vote.
Mr Jaha argued that transferring the matter to the Committee of the Whole would undermine the statutory role of the Public Accounts Committee and embolden public officials to disregard legislative invitations.
Sada Soli (APC, Katsina) added that the executive arm must treat the issue with utmost seriousness, especially as the findings emanated from a constitutional committee chaired by an opposition lawmaker.
What led to the rowdy session
The uproar was triggered by a motion titled “Non-Remittance of over Five Trillion Naira Operating Surplus and Eleven Trillion Naira Government Revenue by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN),” raised by Mr Salam.
In laying the motion, the PAC chairman explained that the committee, while reviewing the Auditor-General’s 2022 report and examining the administration of the Remita platform from March 2015 to April 2016, uncovered disturbing infractions.
The committee found that the CBN had an undisputed operating surplus of N5.2 trillion owed to the federal government from 2016 to 2022 that remained unremitted.
It also identified a discrepancy in refunds of collected charges, where the CBN collected N954.3 million but refunded virtually nothing, leaving an interest-adjusted outstanding amount of N3.28 billion.
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Findings further showed conflicting revenue records, as CBN’s claims of N8.7 billion collected through Remita sharply contrasted with PAC’s computation of N19.8 billion from the same data, creating an unexplained gap of N11.09 billion.
A migration discrepancy of N2.686 trillion was also discovered within the CBN’s core banking system, reportedly outstanding and payable to the Federal Government’s Asset Recovery Account.
Mr Salam noted that cumulatively, the committee established that the CBN owes the federal government more than N11 trillion, aside from other unresolved issues.
He added that the apex bank had consistently failed to honour formal invitations to explain the discrepancies or remit the outstanding funds, an action he described as troubling at a time of acute revenue shortages, insecurity, and mounting national obligations.
House resolution
The House resolved to summon the CBN Governor to appear before the PAC on Tuesday, 16 December, to provide explanations and present a clear plan for the immediate remittance of all outstanding revenues into designated government accounts.
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