The Centre for Fiscal Transparency and Public Integrity (CFTPI) has issued a fresh call to the National Assembly to revive and conclude over 377 corruption-related legislative investigations that have been either abandoned or kept from public scrutiny since Nigeria’s return to democracy in 1999.
This call comes amid growing public concern over a trend where high-profile probes—launched ostensibly to hold government officials accountable—are quietly shelved without outcomes or published reports.
In a statement issued on Friday, the Centre’s Head of Public Relations, Victor Agi, disclosed that the Centre’s flagship platform, the Probes Monitor Portal, has tracked these inconclusive investigations, warning that the pattern reflects a disturbing culture of legislative opacity and selective accountability.
“These are not just numbers; each probe represents a critical question of public trust that has been left unanswered. The failure to conclude or disclose the findings of these investigations undermines the credibility of the legislature and weakens Nigeria’s anti-corruption architecture,” Agi stated.
The CFTPI said it had officially written to the leadership of the National Assembly, including key oversight committees in both the Senate and the House of Representatives, demanding that the probes be revisited and their findings made public. However, Agi confirmed that the letters have gone unanswered.
The Centre further alleged that some of the stalled probes may have been deliberately sabotaged due to underhand dealings or inducements from public office holders who are subjects of the investigations.
“The legislature is meant to be the beacon of transparency in any democracy. But what we’re seeing is a pattern where accountability is sacrificed on the altar of vested interests,” Agi lamented.
In a bid to reignite public engagement and pressure for legislative accountability, the Centre is now seeking collaboration with the media to spotlight the status of these probes and demand action from elected lawmakers.
“We are calling on journalists, civil society actors, and citizens to use the Probes Monitor Portal—accessible via our website—to follow up on these investigations. The media must take the lead in holding the legislature accountable,” Agi added.
He emphasized that the role of the National Assembly in oversight cannot be effective without transparency and urged lawmakers to immediately publish the reports of all concluded investigations and provide status updates on those still pending.
“The Nigerian public deserves to know the outcomes of these investigations. Oversight is not complete until accountability is achieved, and silence is not an option,” the statement concluded.
The Centre pledged to continue monitoring and reporting on the issue while pushing for reforms that will compel timely and transparent handling of legislative investigations.
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