Reps Halt NRS Recruitment, Threaten Sanctions Against Chairman Adedeji
Last update: July 23, 2026
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Trouble is brewing between the House of Representatives and the Nigeria Revenue Service. Lawmakers have slammed the brakes on all NRS recruitment and issued a stern warning to its chairman.
It is a major standoff in Abuja, and the House of Representatives is not backing down.
According to cbinews.tv, the House Committee on Federal Character has ordered the immediate suspension of every recruitment exercise being carried out by the Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS).
But that is not all. The committee has also threatened to sanction the Executive Chairman of the NRS, Mr Zacch Adedeji, for what it described as a repeated snub of legislative invitations.
Chairman of the committee, Hon. Ahmed Idris Wase, did not mince words. He accused the NRS boss of showing continued disregard for the constitutional authority of the National Assembly.
The committee said it had sent a letter dated 15 July 2026, asking Adedeji to submit the agency's comprehensive nominal roll and appear before it on 22 July. He failed to show up.
And according to the lawmakers, this was not a one-off. They claim at least seven similar letters were sent between October 2023 and April 2026, all acknowledged but never honoured.
The committee says it will now rely on Sections 88 and 89 of the 1999 Constitution, which empower the National Assembly to investigate agencies, summon witnesses and compel documents, to enforce compliance.
The dispute is reportedly linked to recruitment waivers granted to the NRS by the Federal Character Commission (FCC), despite an earlier directive from the House prohibiting such approvals.
The FCC Chairman, Hon. Hulayat Motunrayo Omidiran, was also absent from Wednesday’s meeting, citing official travel and illness. Lawmakers, however, described her repeated absence as unacceptable and slammed the FCC's decision to grant the waivers as a direct affront to the oversight powers of the House.
As a result, the committee has directed the FCC to halt all NRS recruitment activities until both agencies appear to explain their actions.
Speaking firmly, Wase stated: “The National Assembly is the voice of the Nigerian people. Its constitutional oversight powers are not symbolic. They are binding instruments of accountability. No agency, commission or public official is above the Constitution or beyond the reach of parliamentary oversight.”
He warned that when public officials ignore legislative invitations, it weakens democracy and erodes checks and balances.
Meanwhile, cbinews.tv understands that the development may be connected to allegations of irregularities in previous NRS appointments. This follows a Daily Trust investigative report of 30 January 2026, which alleged that the appointment of five out of six Executive Directors of the NRS violated Section 17(1) of the NRS Establishment Act, which requires each director to represent a different geopolitical zone.
That matter is already before an Abuja High Court, following a suit filed by the Incorporated Trustees of Patriotic Youth Organisations of Nigeria.
The committee says it will use every constitutional means available to enforce compliance.
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