By Gift ChapiOdekina, Abuja
The House of Representatives was thrown into a rowdy session on Wednesday after a motion seeking to address poor funding of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) and delayed releases of appropriated funds sparked a heated debate over a proposal to invite President Bola Tinubu to appear before the chamber.
The motion, moved by Hon. Alex Mascot Ikwechegh, who represents Aba North/Aba South Federal Constituency of Abia State, drew attention to what he described as the poor implementation of the 2025 budget and inadequate releases to MDAs despite appropriations approved by the National Assembly.
Ikwechegh said revelations made by ministers and heads of MDAs during the ongoing 2026 budget defence sessions showed that several agencies received little or no capital releases throughout the 2025 fiscal year, leading to stalled projects across the country.
He also cited repeated protests by indigenous contractors over unpaid certificates for completed and verified projects, saying many contractors had been pushed to the brink of insolvency after borrowing from banks to execute government contracts.
The lawmaker recalled that President Bola Tinubu had, at a Federal Executive Council meeting in December 2025, directed the immediate settlement of verified contractor liabilities estimated at about N1.5 trillion. He argued, however, that despite the presidential directive, legislative approvals and assurances from the Ministry of Finance, releases to MDAs remained slow or non-existent.
Ikwechegh further expressed concern over a Treasury circular reportedly issued on June 29, 2026 by the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, which halted payments for zonal intervention and constituency projects pending verification by the Federal Ministry of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs.
As part of his prayers, he urged the House to commend the President for directing the settlement of contractors’ debts but also appealed for the speedy implementation of the directive.
The atmosphere in the chamber changed, however, when Ikwechegh went further to propose that President Tinubu be invited to appear before the House to explain the delays in budget implementation, continued funding challenges and the impact on critical infrastructure and security projects.
“We want to use this opportunity to invite the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to this very hallowed chamber to come and explain to the Nigerian people why projects are not being implemented despite trillions of naira appropriated,” he said.
The proposal immediately divided lawmakers, with members shouting across the chamber.
While some lawmakers supported the invitation, others argued that constitutional procedures required the National Assembly to summon only ministers and heads of relevant government agencies responsible for implementing the budget.
The disagreement intensified after Hon. Godwin Oga Amobi proposed an amendment seeking the postponement of the House’s planned Open Week to allow members focus on resolving the budget implementation crisis.
Another lawmaker, Hon. Sani Lawan, seconded the amendment.
Tensions escalated further when Hon. Yusuf Gagdi opposed the prayer seeking to invite the President, insisting that Nigeria’s constitutional system assigned executive responsibilities to ministers and heads of agencies who should be held accountable by Parliament.
He called for the motion to be divided so that lawmakers could vote separately on the controversial prayer to invite the President and on the other resolutions.
His remarks triggered loud protests from members, leading to shouting matches across both sides of the chamber as lawmakers attempted to outshout one another.
Amid the disorder, Speaker Abbas repeatedly called for order and eventually ruled against splitting the question for separate votes, insisting that the House would proceed in line with its established procedures.
