The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Heineken Lokpobiri, has cautioned the National Assembly against issuing incessant and ‘frivolous’ summons to International Oil Companies (IOCs) and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd), warning that such practices are disruptive to the oil and gas industry.
Mr Lokpobiri, a former senator, issued the warning while declaring the 2025 Nigeria Oil and Gas (NOG) Energy Week open on Tuesday in Abuja.
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He said the major complaint among those in the oil industry is the frequent and often unnecessary invitations by lawmakers.
“Part of the complaints in the industry is about the frequent summons at the National Assembly and that should be reduced.
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“I was a senator for many years. We knew the consequences of some of these actions. Before summoning, you need to look at the issues critically and make consultations,” he said.
The minister questioned the rationale behind summoning IOCs over procurement matters that occurred several years ago, describing such actions as unwarranted and counterproductive
“What is the business of summoning the IOCs on procurement issues that happened many years ago. They should not be summoned for frivolous reasons,” the minister added.
Not first time
This is not the first time the executive arm of government has urged the legislature to show restraint in its oversight activities. In March 2024, President Bola Tinubu, himself a former senator, appealed to the lawmakers to exercise discretion in summoning heads of ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs).
At a Ramadan Iftar gathering with House of Representatives Speaker, Abbas Tajudeen and other principal officers, the president emphasised the need to balance oversight with efficient governance.
At that gathering, the president said while oversight is essential for maintaining transparency and accountability in governance, excessive summoning of officials can disrupt operations and hinder service delivery to citizens.
NASS Powers
The Nigerian Constitution empowers the National Assembly to summon any public official or authority for oversight purposes.
Section 88 and 89 of the Nigerian Constitution mandate the National Assembly to conduct oversight functions over Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) and empower them to summon individuals and request documents for investigations.
Specifically, Section 88 outlines the scope and rationale for investigative oversight, while Section 89 grants the National Assembly the power to procure evidence, summon individuals, and compel attendance.
Since the inauguration of the 10th National Assembly in June 2023, committees in both chambers have summoned dozens of government agencies over issues ranging from corruption and mismanagement to insecurity and procurement irregularities.
However, critics argue that many of these probes are politically motivated or aimed at extortion, rather than accountability.
A PREMIUM TIMES investigation in August 2023 exposed corruption by a House of Representatives ad hoc committee investigating job racketeering in federal agencies. The committee, headed by Oluwole Oke, was accused of demanding bribes from heads of MDAs and educational institutions to avoid being publicly disgraced.
Though the committee projected an anti-corruption stance publicly, its members were allegedly using their powers to coerce illegal payments from agency heads.
Any outcome from frequent summons?
Despite the creation of several ad hoc committees, none of the probes conducted since the start of the current National Assembly has yielded a completed report or led to sanctions against implicated individuals or agencies. Instead, the investigations have often ended in silence after generating public headlines.
A few days ago, NNPC Ltd’s management said that being summoned by the Senate Committee on Public Accounts over the alleged missing N210 trillion could damage public trust in government institutions.
Mr Lokpobiri’s comments appear to echo these concerns, as he urged lawmakers to reflect on the long-term implications of legislative overreach.
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