The Nigerian Senate has lambasted the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) for failing to appear before its Public Accounts Committee over an ongoing probe into ₦210 trillion in financial discrepancies spanning 2017 to 2023.
Lawmakers expressed outrage after the NNPCL requested an additional two months to prepare for the hearing, a demand the Senate flatly rejected. Instead, the committee issued a 10-day ultimatum, warning that failure to appear by July 10 would result in the invocation of constitutional sanctions.
“The NNPCL’s refusal to respond to audit queries is unacceptable and constitutes a direct affront to the oversight powers of the National Assembly,” the committee chairman stated, accusing the state-run oil company of deliberately undermining legislative authority.
The probe aims to unravel years of alleged financial irregularities, with lawmakers insisting that transparency and accountability cannot be compromised in the management of the nation's oil revenues.