The House of Representatives has summoned the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Bayo Ojulari, to appear before it next Monday and present all outstanding documents relating to the 2021 audit queries issued by the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation.
Gkingmusik reports that the directive was issued on Monday, December 8, by the Chairman of the House Public Accounts Committee (PAC), Hon. Bamidele Salam, during a session held at the National Assembly Complex in Abuja.
Salam criticised the NNPCL for what he described as a persistent pattern of ignoring the committee’s invitations and failing to provide the requested documents despite several reminders.
He warned that the committee would no longer tolerate what he termed a disregard for legislative oversight functions.
At the resumed hearing, Salam read a letter from NNPCL in which the GCEO explained his absence, citing “another critical official engagement at the Presidential Villa.”
However, this explanation did not sit well with committee members, who faulted the company’s conduct and described it as disrespectful to the parliament and obstructive to the audit review process.
Following an appeal by the NNPCL National Assembly Liaison Officer, Hon. Umar Faruk, the lawmakers agreed to give the company one final opportunity to comply.
The committee fixed December 15, 2025, for the oil company to submit all outstanding documents and appear before the panel.
In his ruling, Hon. Salam said: “We have agreed as a committee to give you up till next week Monday, the 15th of December, for a fresh appearance. Remember, the committee is very busy; we are dealing with so many issues. If you have been here in the last couple of weeks, you would understand the volume of matters before us.”
The NNPCL is expected to provide explanations addressing several red flags raised by the Auditor-General of the Federation. These include alleged payments to contractors handling abandoned projects, failure to deduct statutory taxes and irregular payments allegedly made by the company’s Chief Finance Officer (CFO) without approval from the GCEO.
The committee emphasised that compliance with the audit process is mandatory and that any further attempt to frustrate the probe would attract strict parliamentary sanctions.
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