?Senator Sulaiman Kawu Sumaila, representing Kano South Senatorial District, has called for a thorough Senate investigation into the inclusion of a controversial agency in the 2025 national budget, insisting that the legislature must identify those responsible for facilitating its insertion in the interest of transparency, accountability, and the integrity of Nigeria’s budgetary process.

?The lawmaker made the call while briefing journalists at the National Assembly after raising the matter on the floor of the Senate under Order 9 and 9(c) of the Senate Standing Orders as a matter of privilege.

According to Sumaila, his concern is not with the executive’s ongoing investigation into the agency, but with determining whether the National Assembly played any role in approving or inserting the budgetary allocation.

?The senator explained that under the Constitution, the National Assembly possesses the authority to amend appropriation proposals submitted by the executive by making additions, deductions, or other adjustments before passage.

He stressed that the Senate must establish the origin of the budgetary provision, noting that it either came directly from the executive or originated within the National Assembly during the budget defense process.

?Sumaila urged the Senate leadership to mandate the appropriate committees, particularly the Committees on Appropriations and Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions, to investigate the circumstances surrounding the allocation.

He noted that while President Bola Tinubu had already directed the executive to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the matter, the legislature also has an independent constitutional responsibility to examine its own role in the budget process.

?Responding to questions from journalists on the Senate’s reaction to his motion, Sumaila clarified that although the Senate did not proceed to debate or adopt his proposal as a full motion, the objective of bringing the matter to the attention of the chamber had been achieved.

He reiterated that accountability in the appropriation process is essential to preserving public confidence in governance, adding that Nigerians deserve to know how the agency found its way into the national budget and who was responsible for its inclusion.