The House of Representatives Committee on Federal Character has ordered the immediate suspension of all recruitment activities being conducted by the Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS). The Committee has also threatened to invoke its constitutional powers to sanction the agency’s Executive Chairman, Zacch Adedeji, over his repeated failure to honour legislative invitations.
The directives were issued at a committee meeting in Abuja chaired by Hon. Ahmed Idris Wase, following what lawmakers described as the NRS boss’s “continued disregard for the constitutional authority of the National Assembly” by ignoring multiple summons and formal requests for official documents.
According to the Committee, a letter dated July 15, 2026, titled “Request for Nominal Roll/Invitation to Meeting,” explicitly directed the NRS Chairman to submit a comprehensive and up-to-date nominal roll of the service and appear in person on July 22, 2026. However, Adedeji failed to attend the meeting.
Lawmakers disclosed that this latest invitation followed at least seven previous letters sent to the NRS between October 2023 and April 2026, all of which were acknowledged by the agency but ignored.
Also absent from Wednesday’s meeting was the Chairman of the Federal Character Commission (FCC), Hon. Hulayat Motunrayo Omidiran, who sent written communication citing official travel and illness. The Committee condemned her absence and her repeated failure to appear before lawmakers, describing the FCC’s decision to grant recruitment waivers to the NRS as “a direct affront to the constitutional oversight responsibilities of the House of Representatives.”
Addressing the meeting, the Committee Chairman, Hon. Ahmed Idris Wase, issued a stern warning against public officials disregarding legislative authority. “The National Assembly is the voice of the Nigerian people. Its constitutional oversight powers are not symbolic. They are binding instruments of accountability. No agency, commission or public official is above the Constitution or beyond the reach of parliamentary oversight.”
He added that persistent refusal by public officials to honour invitations from the legislature undermines democratic governance, weakens public confidence, and erodes the constitutional system of checks and balances.
To enforce compliance, the Committee announced the following measures:
- Directed the Federal Character Commission (FCC) to ensure the immediate suspension of all recruitment exercises currently conducted by the NRS until the leadership of both agencies appears before the committee to comply with the oversight process.
- Warned that the House will rely on Sections 88 and 89 of the 1999 Constitution to compel compliance. These provisions empower the National Assembly to investigate government agencies, summon witnesses, compel the production of documents, and issue warrants of arrest where necessary.
The ongoing dispute centers on recruitment exercises and waivers granted by the FCC despite prior directives from the House prohibiting such approvals.
Sources within the National Assembly indicate that the Chairman’s refusal to appear may be linked to allegations of irregularities in previous recruitment and appointment exercises within the NRS. This follows an investigative report published by Daily Trust on January 30, 2026, alleging that the appointment of five out of the six Executive Directors at the NRS violated Section 17(1) of the Nigeria Revenue Service (Establishment) Act, which mandates geopolitical representation and prohibits an Executive Director from originating from the same state as the Executive Chairman.
The disputed appointments are currently the subject of a lawsuit before an Abuja High Court filed by the Incorporated Trustees of Patriotic Youth Organisations of Nigeria against the President, the Attorney General of the Federation, and the Nigeria Revenue Service.
