Tensions between the legislative and executive arms flared at the National Assembly on Wednesday, July 22, 2026, as the House of Representatives Committee on Federal Character ordered a total halt to all recruitment exercises across the Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS).
​The committee, chaired by Hon. Ahmed Idris Wase, issued the directive following the deliberate absence of the NRS Executive Chairman, Dr. Zacch Adedeji, who failed to honor a statutory summons to appear before the panel alongside top officials of his agency.
​The committee’s frustration boiled over during its scheduled hearing in Abuja, where lawmakers convened to examine compliance with federal character principles and review the nominal roll of the revenue body.
​According to committee leaders, a formal invitation dated July 15, 2026, requested Dr. Adedeji’s appearance and the submission of updated staffing documentation for July 22. The non-appearance marked the eighth time since October 2023 that invitations sent to the NRS chief were acknowledged by his office but ultimately ignored.
​Addressing the sitting, Hon. Wase emphasized that the National Assembly would no longer tolerate agency heads who treat legislative oversight with levity, warning that parliament is ready to deploy its full constitutional powers under Sections 88 and 89 of the 1999 Constitution to compel attendance and enforce administrative sanctions.
​Moving to enforce compliance, the committee ordered the Federal Character Commission (FCC) whose leadership was also absent from the proceedings to immediately revoke and freeze all recruitment waivers previously extended to the NRS.
​Lawmakers expressed strong concern over reports that recruitment activities were proceeding under questionable waiver approvals despite clear instructions from the House prohibiting such practices. The panel declared that no further candidate screening, selection, or employment letters from the NRS would be recognized until both Dr. Adedeji and the FCC executive leadership appear in person before the committee to clear the air.
