The agencies are the Nigeria Communications Satellite Ltd (NIGCOMSAT), Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRE), Nigeria Export Processing Zones Authority (NEPZA), Rural Electrification Agency (REA), Nigeria Export Promotion Council (NEPC), and the Federal University of Petroleum Studies in Effurum, Delta State.
The chairman of the committee, Bamidele Salam, issued the summons on Monday, after the agencies failed to show up at a scheduled hearing to address the audit queries against them.
He said the committee would not tolerate any further delay or disregard for its invitations, and warned that failure to comply with the ultimatum would result in a warrant of arrest being issued against the heads of the agencies.
He said: "The House of Representatives Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has summoned the heads of the Nigeria Communications Satellite Ltd (NIGCOMSAT), Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRE), and other government agencies to address a N20.853 billion audit query."
He added: "The audit queries, totalling N20.853 billion, were raised against these agencies by the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation."
He also said: "The committee, led by Bamidele Salam, issued a 72-hour ultimatum for these agencies to appear before it."
He further said: "He also issued a stern warning, stating that this invitation represents the final notice before a warrant of arrest could be issued against the heads of these agencies."
The audit queries cover various issues, such as cash advances, budgetary allocations, contract awards, and financial statements.
Only the REA sent a letter to the committee requesting that its Chief Executive Officer be excused from attending the hearing due to ill health.
Mr Salam said the committee would verify the authenticity of the letter and decide whether to grant the request or not.
He also said the committee was determined to use its constitutional powers to ensure that public funds are spent prudently and transparently by all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
He said: "Mr Salam declared, 'We are going to use our constitutional powers to ensure that every kobo spent by Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) is prudently utilised.'"
He said the committee members were unhappy with the attitude of some heads of government agencies who ignored or snubbed parliamentary invitations and called for appropriate sanctions.
He said: "The committee members previously expressed their dissatisfaction with the attitude of heads of some government agencies towards parliamentary invitations and called for appropriate sanctions."
The PAC is one of the standing committees of the House of Representatives that is mandated to oversee and scrutinize the accounts and expenditures of all MDAs in line with Section 85 of the Constitution.
(NAN)