The Senate Committee on Public Accounts has ordered the Group Chief Government Officer (GCEO) of the Nigerian Nationwide Petroleum Firm Restricted (NNPCL), Bayo Ojulari, to seem earlier than it on July 10.
The committee stated that it may be compelled to subject an arrest warrant if Ojulari failed to seem on the stated date, Information Company of Nigeria (NAN) studies on Friday.
The committee, chaired by Senator Ahmed Wadada, issued the directive throughout a short session of the committee in Abuja after officers of the NNPCL failed to seem earlier than it as anticipated.
Their presence was required to reply to queries raised final week concerning a staggering N210 trillion allegedly unaccounted for by the corporate between 2017 and 2023, as detailed in an audit report.
Relatively than seem, the NNPCL, as a substitute, in a letter signed by Adedapo Segun on behalf of the GCEO and skim by the committee clerk, Sani Abdullahi, requested a further two months to organize an in depth response.
Wadada strongly rejected the request and condemned the absence of NNPCL officers, saying it demonstrated a disregard for the committee’s summons.
“We anticipated representatives from the NNPCL to be earlier than us right this moment to reply questions thrown at them final week on points or queries raised within the audit studies earlier than us.
“Their absence is unacceptable, and because of this, this committee is giving the related officers from NNPCL ten working days from right this moment, which ends on July 10.
“This committee was not anticipating any paperwork from NNPCL right this moment, however solutions to the eleven questions thrown at its representatives final week.
“Due to this fact, the GCEO of NNPCL should seem earlier than us on July 10 for the anticipated solutions.”
He added that the failure to seem on the scheduled date would go away the committee with no selection however to invoke and assert all its constitutional powers to compel the GCEO’s look.
Wadada additionally declared that the committee could undertake audit queries towards different defaulting companies.
“These companies are the FCT Excessive Courtroom and the Federal Ministries of Stable Minerals, Metal Improvement, and Finance. In the event that they fail to seem earlier than the committee on Tuesday subsequent week, they are going to hear from us,’’ he stated.
The Senate had earlier this month issued a one-week ultimatum to the NNPC Ltd to supply detailed explanations for {financial} discrepancies amounting to over N210 trillion in its audited {financial} statements from 2017 to 2023.
This directive was issued throughout a tense session of the Senate Committee on Public Accounts, the place the corporate’s Chief {Financial} Officer, Dapo Segun, appeared alongside different prime executives.
Lawmakers expressed outrage over what they described as “mind-boggling irregularities” within the firm’s information, notably figures listed underneath accrued bills and receivables, which have been flagged within the audit report.
