The Senate has decried the persistent failure of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to implement its resolutions, warning that agencies that continue to disregard legislative directives could face budgetary and other sanctions.
The upper chamber expressed concern that many MDAs routinely ignore Senate resolutions and fail to provide updates on compliance, describing the trend as a clear disregard for its constitutional oversight responsibilities.
The warning came on Wednesday during the presentation and consideration of the report of the Senate Committee on Legislative Compliance, which reviewed the implementation of Senate resolutions passed between July 2023 and December 2025.
Presenting the report, the committee’s Chairman, Senator Musa Maidoki Garba (APC, Kebbi South), said the review revealed that numerous Senate resolutions had either been delayed or ignored despite repeated follow-up efforts by the committee.
Garba explained that implementation of Senate resolutions is often hampered because the Executive has the final authority to issue directives for their execution.
He noted that many MDAs also fail to respond to the committee’s requests for compliance reports, undermining the authority of both the committee and the Senate.
According to him, several agencies cited inadequate budgetary provisions as the reason for failing to implement resolutions, particularly those relating to road rehabilitation and disaster management.
To address the situation, the committee recommended that the Senate impose budgetary and other sanctions on agencies that refuse to implement or respond to its resolutions.
The report also highlighted several outstanding cases, including the Federal Government’s failure to compensate the family of two-year-old Eromonsele Omhonria, who was struck in the eye by a stray bullet during a National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) operation in Asaba, Delta State, in July 2023.
The Senate had earlier directed the Federal Government to pay the family ₦200 million in compensation and mandated the NDLEA to fund the child’s medical treatment abroad.
However, Garba disclosed that the NDLEA has yet to facilitate the treatment, citing its inability to access funds from confiscated and forfeited assets.
The committee also criticised the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) for failing to comply with the Senate’s directive to reinstate its former employee, Engr. Paddy Ukpe.
Garba further observed that some implementation challenges stem from lawmakers themselves, noting that certain motions are sponsored without adequate investigation, while some agencies tasked with implementation lack the statutory authority to carry out the resolutions.
He also pointed out that multiple directives contained in a single motion and addressed to one agency often complicate implementation.
The report listed several agencies with unresolved compliance issues, including the Federal Ministries of Works, Health, Power, Petroleum Resources, Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Information, Environment and Solid Minerals Development, as well as the Department of State Services (DSS), Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS), Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA), Ecological Fund Office, Nigerian Railway Corporation, NDLEA, Federal Civil Service Commission and the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation.
In his remarks, Senate President Godswill Akpabio commended the committee for its detailed report and urged senators to carefully study its recommendations to strengthen legislative oversight and improve compliance by government agencies.
