The Senate Committee on Finance has ordered the Inspector General of Police to ensure that Ishaq Hussain Magaji, the Registrar General of the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), appears before it within 24 hours.
The committee, led by Chairman Sani Musa, was visibly upset when Mr. Magaji failed to attend the committee’s invitation for the third consecutive time.
Mr. Magaji was scheduled to defend the Commission’s 2024 budget. However, the committee discovered some financial inconsistencies in the submitted accounts that required further clarification. This seems to have deterred the CAC head from appearing before the committee.
Despite receiving multiple invitation letters from the Clerk of the Senate Committee on Finance, four senior CAC officials were unable to account for Mr. Magaji’s absence. Prior to Senator Musa’s comments, Ifeanyi called for punitive action against the registrar as a warning to others.
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Senator Bello Mandiya, representing Katsina South Senatorial District, expressed his frustration at Mr. Magaji’s apparent disregard for the committee. He questioned what the registrar might be concealing, which made him apprehensive.
He stated, “Thank you Mr Chairman, I am Senator Bello Mandiya representing Katsina South Senatorial District. I think it’s disrespectful to the Registrar General of the Corporate Affairs Commission to shun this Committee for the third time. Even the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria appears before us to present a budget. Who is the Registrar General of CAC that cannot appear before us?”
In response, Senator Abdul Ningi advised the CAC officials not to return without the RG and encouraged them to allow the CAC to face scrutiny and explain their expenditure.
He said, “Mr Chairman, it is imperative to understand where they are coming from that this is not the first time they are appearing before the Committee. There was a deliberate discussion with you that there were discrepancies in revenue generation and expenditure by the Corporate Affairs Commission and we said, the Registrar General should be here. Yet you are here and you probably told him that you can do the job. Even if you can do the job, this job is not for you please. Don’t take the bullet that is meant for him.”
Following the reactions from the committee members, Sani Musa ruled, “With all sense of humility, the Corporate Affairs Registrar General has disregarded this committee. Distinguished Colleagues, Corporate Affairs Commission was present when we treated MTEF/FSP and the Director of Finance was here. We saw discrepancies, and we told you to go and come back.
“You have your bookkeepers; you have your records and we asked you to go and tidy up and report back, but you never did. I have cause to tell the Secretariat to send you a letter, you appear here. When you came, you said the Registrar General just felt ill, I excused you expecting you are going to come back with documents requested. You Know what the financial regulations of this country are.
“I had cause to tell the Committee Secretariat to write to you again and you are here without the registrar. You are the custodian of finances of the Corporate Affairs Commission and there are discrepancies.
“How many entities are registered in this country? How many? How much were you reporting there and you are taking us with levity. I am invoking Section 89(2) mandating the Inspector General of Police to compel the appearance of the Registrar General of the Corporate Affairs Commission before the Senate Committee on Finance within 24 hours.”