The House of Representatives Committee on Public Accounts has given the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) up to December 15 to appear before it and address allegations of massive revenue leakages uncovered in the company’s operations.
The committee’s chairman, Rep. Bamidele Salam, issued the directive during a hearing on Monday in Abuja after NNPCL again failed to honour its latest invitation. The company, in a letter read by Salam, attributed its absence to an emergency meeting with the President and requested a 60-day extension.
Salam, however, rejected the excuse, noting that the committee had written to the company more than seven times without compliance. He described the repeated failures to appear as unacceptable for a corporation of NNPCL’s size and national importance.
According to him, the Auditor-General’s reports identified major revenue leakages running into trillions of naira—funds that should have been remitted to the Federation Account.
“The only way we will agree that this is a new NNPCL is to see a shift in how you conduct your affairs, including your corporate management practices,” he said. “We do not think NNPCL should continue in this seeming contempt for the parliament. Therefore, you have until next Monday, December 15, to appear.”
Other lawmakers backed the firm stance. Rep. Hassan Bappa (PDP–Taraba) said the committee’s oversight powers must be respected, insisting that NNPCL could not place itself above parliamentary scrutiny. Rep. Kafilat Ogbara (APC–Lagos) added that the company should not be allowed to dictate a new date after repeatedly ignoring invitations, a position supported by Deputy Chairman Rep. Jeremiah Umaru (APC–Nasarawa).
Earlier, NNPCL’s Liaison Officer to the National Assembly, Umar Farooq, apologised for the absence, explaining that management had prepared to appear before receiving a late communication from the Presidency on Friday.
“It is a new NNPCL that is willing and ready to partner with the parliament for the good of all Nigerians,” he assured the committee.
