The Senate Committee on Public Accounts has threatened sanctions against the Bank of Agriculture (BOA), the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Company (NSPMC), and the Rural Electrification Agency (REA) for failing to appear before it to respond to outstanding audit queries.

The committee, chaired by Senator Ibrahim Dankwambo, issued the warning on Tuesday after the affected agencies failed to attend a scheduled oversight hearing.

During the session, the committee secretary informed lawmakers that the Bank of Agriculture had written to the panel through its legal adviser. In the correspondence, the bank stated that it had appeared before the committee on several occasions between February 2023 and November 2024, adding that issues raised during those engagements had been resolved with both the committee and relevant government authorities.

The bank further requested clarification on outstanding matters and sought an additional two weeks to enable its management to compile the required documentation.

However, Senator Dankwambo rejected the request, faulting the correspondence on the grounds that it was not signed by the bank’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer. He maintained that all official communications in response to legislative invitations must be personally signed by the heads of affected agencies.

The committee chairman also criticised the repeated failure of the Bank of Agriculture to present its Managing Director before the committee to address unresolved audit issues. Consequently, the committee dismissed the request for an extension, insisting that agencies do not have the authority to determine timelines for legislative oversight processes.

Lawmakers unanimously resolved that the Managing Director of the Bank of Agriculture must appear in person before the committee within one week. They further maintained that previous audit concerns involving the institution remain unresolved, contrary to claims in its correspondence.

The committee warned that future communications signed by subordinate officials would no longer be accepted.

The absence of the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Company and the Rural Electrification Agency was also described as unacceptable. Both agencies were directed to appear before the committee within one week.

Lawmakers expressed concern over what they described as increasing disregard for legislative summons by government agencies, stressing that audit queries constitute serious accountability matters that must be treated with urgency.

The committee reaffirmed that it was acting within its constitutional mandate based on audit reports submitted through established oversight procedures.

It further warned that any agency failing to honour its final invitation would face sanctions in line with the Senate’s constitutional powers.

Senator Dankwambo stated that formal letters detailing unresolved audit issues would be issued immediately to the affected agencies, reiterating that compliance with the one-week deadline was mandatory.