The House of Representatives Committee on Federal Character has directed the immediate suspension of all recruitment activities by the Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS), warning that its Executive Chairman, Zacch Adedeji, could face constitutional sanctions for repeatedly failing to honour invitations from lawmakers.
The committee, led by Hon. Ahmed Idris Wase, accused the NRS leadership of showing persistent disregard for the constitutional oversight powers of the National Assembly by ignoring several invitations and requests for official documents.
At a meeting in Abuja, lawmakers cited Sections 88 and 89 of the 1999 Constitution, which empower the National Assembly to investigate government agencies, summon public officials, compel the production of documents and issue warrants where necessary. The committee warned it would invoke these constitutional provisions if the NRS chairman continues to disregard its directives.
According to the lawmakers, a letter dated July 15, 2026, titled “Request for Nominal Roll/Invitation to Meeting,” instructed the NRS to submit a comprehensive nominal roll of its workforce and appear before the committee on July 22. However, Adedeji failed to attend the meeting.
The committee noted that the latest invitation followed at least seven previous letters sent to the agency between October 2023 and April 2026, all reportedly acknowledged but ignored. At the centre of the dispute are ongoing recruitment exercises and waivers allegedly granted to the NRS by the Federal Character Commission (FCC), despite an earlier directive from the House prohibiting such approvals.
The Chairman of the FCC, Hon. Hulayat Motunrayo Omidiran, was also absent from the meeting. She informed the committee that official travel and illness prevented her attendance, but lawmakers described her repeated failure to appear before the committee as unacceptable.
The committee further criticised the FCC for approving recruitment waivers for the NRS, describing the action as a direct challenge to the constitutional oversight authority of the House of Representatives.
Consequently, lawmakers directed the commission to ensure the immediate suspension of all recruitment activities by the Nigeria Revenue Service until both the NRS and FCC leadership appear before the committee to explain their actions and comply with legislative oversight. Speaking during the session, Committee Chairman Ahmed Idris Wase stressed that no government institution has the authority to ignore constitutional directives issued by the National Assembly.
He stated that the legislature’s oversight responsibilities are binding mechanisms designed to ensure transparency and accountability, warning that continued refusal by public officials to honour invitations weakens democratic governance and erodes the nation’s system of checks and balances.
The committee reiterated its resolve to deploy every constitutional and legislative mechanism available to compel compliance and preserve the integrity of parliamentary oversight. Meanwhile, sources within the National Assembly suggested that the NRS chairman’s repeated absence may be linked to allegations surrounding previous recruitment and appointment exercises within the agency.
The controversy follows an investigative report published in January 2026, alleging that the appointment of five out of six Executive Directors of the Nigeria Revenue Service breached Section 17(1) of the Nigeria Revenue Service (Establishment) Act. The law requires each Executive Director to represent a different geopolitical zone and prohibits the Executive Chairman and any Executive Director from originating from the same state.
Those appointments are currently being challenged before an Abuja High Court in a suit filed by the Incorporated Trustees of Patriotic Youth Organisations of Nigeria. The case seeks to restrain the affected Executive Directors from performing their official duties pending the determination of the substantive suit, with the President, the Attorney General of the Federation and the Nigeria Revenue Service listed as defendants.
