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 look earlier than it on July 10.
The committee mentioned that it is likely to be compelled to subject an arrest warrant if Ojulari failed to look on the mentioned date, Information Company of Nigeria (NAN) studies on Friday.
The committee, chaired by Senator Ahmed Wadada, issued the directive throughout a quick session of the committee in Abuja after officers of the NNPCL failed to look earlier than it as anticipated.
Their presence was required to reply to queries raised final week relating to 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 an alternative, in a letter signed by Adedapo Segun on behalf of the GCEO and browse by the committee clerk, Sani Abdullahi, requested a further two months to arrange 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 now 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 in consequence, this committee is giving the related officers from NNPCL ten working days from right now, which ends on July 10.
“This committee was not anticipating any paperwork from NNPCL right now, 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 look 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 businesses.
“These businesses are the FCT Excessive Courtroom and the Federal Ministries of Stable Minerals, Metal Improvement, and Finance. In the event that they fail to look earlier than the committee on Tuesday subsequent week, they’ll hear from us,’’ he mentioned.
Backstory
The Senate had earlier this month issued a one-week ultimatum to the NNPC Ltd to supply detailed explanations for monetary discrepancies amounting to over N210 trillion in its audited monetary 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 Monetary 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.
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