Audit Report: Again, NNPCL Boss Shuns Senate’s Order To Appear Before Panel
•••Committee Threatens Sanction, Issues Fresh Appearance Order For Wednesday
•By Admin
ABUJA : The Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPCL), Bayo Ojulari, on Tuesday shunned for the fourth time invitations by the Senate Committee on Public Accounts, over the oil regulator’s financial records.
Recall, the Senate Committee had at its last sitting fumed over what it described as “an insult” following Ojulari’s continued excuses for his “inability” to honour earlier invitations by the panel.
On such instances the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of NNPCL, Dapo Segun, had said the GCEO “was unavoidably absent” for official reasons.
Recall also that the committee has been probing queries raised against the National Oil Company in the audit reports of 2017 to 2023.
The non-appearance of Ojulari on Tuesday angered members of the Committee, as it resolved that he must not fail to appear before them at 3:00pm on Wednesday this week or risk issuance of a warrant of arrest against him.
The Committee Chaired by Senator Aliyu Wadada Ahmed (Nasarawa West), had after three earlier invitations sent to Ojulari to appear before it for explanation on N210trillion unaccounted from 2017 to 2023 extended the fourth invitation to him penultimate Thursday.
When the Committee’s Chairman asked the Clerk, Mohammed Sani Abdullahi whether the NNPCL’s Head was around, the Clerk responded that he sent a letter for explanation on his absence.
Ojulari as contained in the letter dated 22nd July 2025 and read by the committee’s clerk , said an urgent invitation he got from President Bola Tinubu at about 1:00pm , prevented him from honouring the committee’s invitation .
However, being the fourth time, the NNPCL’s GCEO failed to appear before them, members of the committee one after the other in their separate comments, expressed reservations on genuineness or sincerity of reason given by Ojulari.
Specifically, Senator Victor Umeh (Anambra Central) in his remarks said though intervention of Presidential call reduces his anger against the NNPCL boss but using Tinubu as an excuse for failing to appear before the committee, should not be allowed to continue.
Senator Joel Thomas Onowakpo (Delta South), in his comment, accused Ojulari of not taking the invitation of the committee as a priority.
“To me, the NNPCL boss thinks that he is bigger than this committee and will not need a soothsayer to tell us that he will never honour our invitation except we invoke our powers to compel him,” he said.
Similarly, Senator Aminu Abbas ( Adamawa Central), said Ojulari is disrespectful to the committee , forgetting that no GCEO is bigger than the National Assembly.
“For failing to honour invitations of this committee four different times, he should be ordered to appear before it tomorrow (Wednesday ) unfailingly,” he said.
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