By Anayo Akwitti
Nigeria’s Senate Committee on Public Accounts has intensified its probe into the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), summoning top officials over an alleged unaccounted N210 trillion flagged in audit reports spanning 2017 to 2023.
At a tense session on Wednesday, the committee—chaired by Aliyu Wadada Ahmed—warned that it would issue a warrant of arrest against the current NNPCL Group Chief Executive Officer, Bayo Ojulari, if he fails to appear before it on May 13, 2026.
The warning followed Ojulari’s absence at the hearing, which lawmakers described as unacceptable.
The committee rejected a letter explaining his absence, signed by the company’s Chief Relations Officer, as insufficient.
“Ojulari must appear before this committee at the next session, failure which will lead to his being brought before us by force,” Wadada declared.
Lawmakers also expressed frustration over repeated no-shows by top NNPCL officials. Adams Oshiomhole described the development as “totally disrespectful,” warning that any funds that cannot be properly accounted for risk being deemed misappropriated.
“What cannot be explained must be deemed to have been stolen,” Oshiomhole said, adding that public accountability must be upheld.
Despite earlier absences, members of the immediate past management have now signaled readiness to cooperate.
Former NNPCL GCEO, Mele Kyari, and ex-Chief Upstream Investment Officer, Bala Wunti, both reached out to the committee by phone, pledging to appear at the next hearing.
Meanwhile, the immediate past Chief Finance Officer, Umar Ajia, appeared in person and submitted copies of the audit reports after being sworn in.
The committee has directed NNPCL officials to ensure all relevant audit documents are made available to the concerned former executives ahead of the next session.
With tensions rising and scrutiny deepening, the May 13 hearing is expected to be decisive in unraveling the discrepancies surrounding one of the largest financial queries in Nigeria’s public sector history.
