- Senator Orji Uzor Kalu has commended members of Nigeria’s security community for punctual attendance at budget defence sessions, while criticizing delays by some public officials and lawmakers who appear before Senate committees.
The remarks were made during a meeting of the Senate Committee on National Security and Intelligence in Abuja, according to a video report shared by Channels Television on Wednesday, February 18, 2026. The session focused on budget hearings involving security agencies and other government stakeholders.
Speaking during the meeting, Kalu expressed appreciation for the presence and timekeeping of top security officials invited to the hearings, while contrasting their conduct with that of some former colleagues now serving in ministerial positions.
He said: “I want to sincerely use the opportunity to thank the security community, especially the NSA, the Director, Assistant Chief of Defense Staff. These are people, we invite our colleagues who left these chambers to go and be ministers. They will take two hours to be here.”
The senator urged that the matter be noted at the highest level and linked delays to disruptions in committee work.
Kalu stated: “It’s good to say this, Mr. President should take note of that because they don’t adhere to time and it’s affecting our job here. Only the security community that keeps the time here.”
He further addressed repeated late arrivals and explanations given for absences or delays.
According to him: “All of our colleagues, when you invite them, they come in two, three hours and tell you they are calling the villa and this nonsense should stop. It’s absolutely rubbish because this is a budget period.”
Highlighting specific agencies, he added: “All the time I’ve invited in any committee, the National Security Advisor, the Director of DGSSS, the Chief of Defense Staff, they are there 10 minutes ahead of me and we should keep to this.”
Kalu said adherence to schedule and procedure should be treated as a serious matter during the budget cycle. He said: “This is, we should take this in serious. We are not joking here. Our colleagues, some of them sat in these chambers and they go because they are ministers. They don’t want to adhere to time and rule of law and it’s disappointing.”
He continued: “I wish I use this opportunity in the security community to commend you people and ask you never to go back. I was here at 20 minutes to 11 and the DGSSS was here and all of them, they were here waiting for 11 o’clock.”
Addressing references to presidential summons as reasons for lateness, he said: “Our colleagues who come here 11 o’clock, they come at three o’clock and say they were called the villa. Everybody knows road to the villa. They should stop lying broadly with the name of the president. They should come and do their job. We are doing budgetary. They should be here to do it for Christ’s sake because they are delaying our job.”
He concluded his remarks by thanking the committee leadership for the opportunity to speak, saying: “I want to thank you Mr. President, Mr. Chairman for the opportunity you’ve given to me to voice out an anger that I’ve been keeping on me. Thank you very much. Thank you very much.”…..See More
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