Ita Enang, former special adviser to ex-president Muhammadu Buhari on national assembly matters, says committees of the national assembly have been exceeding their oversight powers by delving into affairs of private companies.
Enang, who also served in both chambers of the legislature
before becoming presidential liaison officer, said judicial pronouncements
already limited the powers of lawmakers in this regard.
He spoke at the national assembly while delivering a lecture
at a workshop organised by the senate press corps on the theme ‘Parliamentary
reporting: Issues, challenges and responsibilities’.
Citing DHL International Nigeria Ltd v. Senate of the
Federal Republic of Nigeria (2018), Enang recalled that Justice Ayokunle Faji
ruled that private firms do not fall within the scope of sections 88 and 89 of
the 1999 constitution, which empower the legislature to summon individuals or
entities.
He also pointed to the court of appeal judgment in NECA v.
Attorney-General of the Federation, where Justice J.H. Sankey held that
parliamentary oversight extends only to government bodies funded by public
money, not to private companies.
“It is an abuse of power when committees descend into the
arena of the executive or the private sector,” Enang said.
He aligned himself with a recent petition by the Nigeria
Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA), which accused lawmakers of
harassment through endless summons.
Ifeanyi Okoye, NECA president, recently warned against what
he described as the growing overreach of the national assembly into executive
matters, saying the frequent summons of private businesses by lawmakers is
unconstitutional and harmful to the business environment.
He said the incessant invitations extended to NECA member
companies by several national assembly committees are unnecessary and costly.
Okoye said most of the issues being probed lie strictly
within the jurisdiction of executive agencies.
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