The Senate deserves credit for asking questions early. Oversight is most useful before questionable practices harden into organisational culture. But the committee’s work should not end with a dramatic hearing and viral clips. It should require written responses, audited disclosures, deadlines for completing the management structure and periodic reports on what has changed. Otherwise, the grilling will become another performance, forceful in the moment but inconsequential afterwards.
Last week, short video clips from the Senate’s engagement with officials of the North-West Development Commission travelled widely across social media. The clips were compelling not merely because senators were asking hard questions, but because of the numbers at the centre of the exchange. Of the ₦1.19 billion reportedly spent by the commission, about ₦943 million, which is roughly 79 per cent, was said to have gone to allowances for members of its governing board.
For an institution created to respond to some of Nigeria’s deepest development emergencies, this is an extraordinary way to announce its arrival. It is important to begin with the necessary qualifications. A legislative query is not a criminal conviction, and the public evidence available does not establish that the ₦943 million was embezzled. The board chairman defended the expenditure, stating that the board held seven meetings, adopted 63 resolutions and incurred legitimate committee and sitting expenses, while developing the commission’s operational framework. That explanation deserves to be heard, but it does not dispose of the issue. In public finance, expenditure may be authorised and still be excessive, poorly prioritised or inconsistent with the institution’s purpose.
