The deputy spokesman of the House of Representatives, Philip Agbese, has said the Chief of Staff to the president, Femi Gbajabiamila, cannot take over the oversight duties of the National Assembly.
Agbese stated this yesterday in an interview with some journalists in Abuja while reacting to his response to a report earlier published by the Daily Trust on concerns on oversight visits by Gbajabiamila.
The Benue lawmaker claimed he was misquoted in his earlier position that Gbajabiamila did nothing wrong for embarking on oversight visits to some government agencies, a role traditionally reserved for the National Assembly and the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
Daily Trust had reported how Gbajabiamila had embarked on oversight visits to some government agencies, such as the National Agricultural Land Development Authority, the Bureau of Public Procurement, the Bureau of Public Enterprises, the Nigeria Atomic Energy Commission, and the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure.
Gbajabiamila also visited the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit, the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, the National Emergency Management Agency, and the National Hajj Commission.
Our correspondent reached out to Agbese to seek his reaction, and he said such visits were not in conflict with the mandate of the National Assembly.
"What the Right Honourable Chief of Staff to Mr. President is doing is not in any way in conflict with our mandate as a Parliament. On our part, we encourage routine supervisory checks by members of the Executive in their duties over agencies and departments that are directly under their control," Agbese said in the earlier interview.
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However, in an interview yesterday with journalists in Abuja, Agbese said he was quoted out of context, saying, "I did not say that the Chief of Staff to Mr. President, Mr. Gbajabiamila, can oversight government agencies and parastatals. That role can only be played by the National Assembly.
"Sections 88 and 89 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) provide for the power of the National Assembly to investigate the performance of anyone or body charged with the responsibility of executing the laws enacted by the parliament."
The lawmaker also said that Gbajabiamila was at liberty to visit government agencies, being a part of the executive arm, adding however that such visits cannot take the place of the oversight duties of the parliament.
"What I told the press is that the visit of the Chief of Staff as part of the executive arm is okay, but when it is called an oversight, it will conflict with the Constitution. Courtesy visits are in order, but they should not be seen as oversight," he clarified.
