A chaotic session unfolded on the floor of the House of Representatives on Wednesday as lawmakers argued over a motion accusing the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, of failing to remit more than N5.2 trillion in operating surpluses and N11 trillion in revenue discrepancies between 2016 and 2022.
The motion, presented by the Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, Bamidele Salam, was based on findings from the Public Accounts Committee, PAC, which is currently examining government revenues collected through the Remita platform as recorded in the 2022 Auditor-General’s Report.
According to PAC’s review, the CBN has an undisputed liability of N5.2 trillion in unremitted operating surpluses owed to the federal government for the period covering 2016 to 2022.
Additional irregularities identified include N954,302,576.67 in charges allegedly collected by the CBN on Remita transactions but not refunded; a PAC-calculated difference of N11,098,385,528.19 between the CBN’s reported collections and the committee’s calculation from the same data; N3.28 billion that should be refunded when interest at the Monetary Policy Rate, MPR, of 27.25 per cent is applied; and a total discrepancy of N19.8 billion in the figures presented by the apex bank.
The conflict began when a member from Kano, Rep Ghali Mustapha Tijanni, proposed an amendment for an ad hoc committee to take charge of the investigation.
However, the proposed amendment was rejected by members who insisted that the investigation should remain with the Public Accounts Committee of the House.
This disagreement triggered arguments and a rowdy session, with lawmakers shouting across the chamber while the Speaker attempted to restore order.
Ahmed Jaha (Chibok/Damboa/Gwoza) moved a further amendment to Salam’s motion, calling on the House to summon the CBN governor and all relevant agencies to appear before the Public Accounts Committee.
The amendment immediately sparked loud objections from lawmakers who tried to drown it out, creating a near-chaotic atmosphere.
The Speaker, Abbas Tajudeen, who presided over the session, struggled to maintain control and delivered a forceful reprimand to the lawmakers for their behaviour.
He warned members against “embarrassing the institution,” saying “you are shouting as if putting the question will take away a right that belongs to you.”
“This is not the behaviour of an honourable member. We are before the world seeing us.”
He cautioned specific lawmakers, including Mark Essiet and Kabir Maipalas, warning that disciplinary action would follow if the disorder continued.
“If you don’t stop this behaviour we will take you to ethics. I do not want to set an example in this House, but you are forcing me to.”
The Speaker emphasised that there was nothing contentious about calling for a vote and urged members to follow parliamentary procedure.
After restoring order, Abbas restated Jaha’s amendment, which was seconded by Akin Alabi (Oyo). When the motion was finally put to a vote, shouts of “aye” and “nay” filled the chamber again, forcing the Speaker to repeat the question twice before ruling that the “aye” had prevailed.
With the motion and amendment adopted, the House summoned the CBN governor and officials responsible for Remita revenue administration to appear before the Public Accounts Committee.
The committee is mandated to investigate the alleged non-remittance of federal revenue and related discrepancies from 2015 to 2022 and ensure compliance with the Fiscal Responsibility Act, the CBN Act, and other financial regulations.
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