KEY POINTS
- Reps Public Accounts Committee has ordered NNPCL GCEO Bayo Ojulari to appear on 15 December with all outstanding 2021 audit documents.
- Lawmakers criticised NNPCL for repeatedly ignoring invitations, calling its conduct disrespectful and obstructive to the audit process.
- The committee warned it may invoke coercive powers if the national oil company fails to meet the new final deadline.
The House of Representatives has issued a final ultimatum to the leadership of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, directing its Group Chief Executive Officer, Bayo Ojulari, to appear before lawmakers next week with all documents relating to spending in 2021.
The order came after yet another session in Abuja where the Public Accounts Committee complained bitterly about the company’s repeated failure to honour invitations or furnish critical records tied to a string of audit questions.
The committee’s chairman, Bamidele Salam, made clear that the panel had exhausted its patience. He said the GCEO’s absence had become a recurring feature despite reminders stretching back weeks. Lawmakers noted that the company’s reluctance to appear was obstructing their ability to carry out their constitutional duty of holding public institutions to account.
Salam read aloud a letter sent by the national oil firm in which Ojulari said he was engaged in a separate assignment at the Presidential Villa, a justification the panel quickly dismissed as insufficient. Members argued that the institution’s behaviour reflected a broader disregard for parliamentary oversight and undermined the audit process the Office of the Auditor-General initiated.
Lawmakers set 15 December as final deadline
Tension in the committee room eased only after the intervention of Umar Faruk, NNPCL’s liaison officer to the National Assembly, who pleaded for one final extension to allow the management team appear with the full set of documents. The panel agreed reluctantly, fixing Monday, 15 December, as the last opportunity for the company to present itself and respond to all pending queries.
Salam noted that the committee’s schedule had been overwhelmed in recent weeks, with several ministries, departments and agencies under review. He added that NNPCL’s non-appearance had created needless complications, pointing out that the issues at stake were too serious to be deferred any further.
The company faces multiple audit questions raised by the Auditor-General’s office, including allegations of payments made to contractors on projects said to have been abandoned, the non-remittance of statutory taxes and a series of irregular disbursements allegedly authorised by the Chief Finance Officer without the sign-off of the then Group Managing Director. Lawmakers say the lack of documentation has made it difficult to determine the scale of the infractions or establish personal and institutional accountability.
The committee signalled it would not hesitate to invoke its powers if NNPCL fails to comply with the new deadline, a step that could include issuing a warrant for the GCEO’s arrest. For now, members say they expect full cooperation from the national oil company when proceedings resume next week, marking what they insist will be the final attempt to obtain the records that have been outstanding for months.
