Rita Odafe
The House of Representatives has clarified that Femi Gbajabiamila, Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu, does not possess the legal authority to conduct oversight activities in government agencies.
Philip Agbese, deputy spokesperson of the House, made this statement during a recent press interview.
This declaration came in response to a report by Daily Trust, which highlighted Gbajabiamila’s oversight visits to various government agencies including NAALDA, BPP, BPE, NAEIC, NASEI, NFIU, NEITI, NEMA, and NAHCON.
Daily Trust also reported Agbese’s alleged approval of the Chief of Staff’s right to oversight agencies, a claim which he refuted during a subsequent interview, affirming that oversight duties are reserved solely for the National Assembly as per the constitution.
Agbese emphasized that according to Sections 88 and 89 of the 1999 Constitution, oversight is a prerogative of the National Assembly to scrutinize the performance of entities responsible for executing parliamentary laws.
He clarified that while executive officials like the Chief of Staff are welcome to make courtesy visits to government agencies, designating them as oversight activities would violate the Constitution.
