By Seun Ibiyemi
The House of Representatives Committee on Public Account has set December 15 as the deadline for the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd. (NNPCL) to appear before it and address alleged revenue leakages.
The ruling was made by the committee chairman, Rep. Bamidele Salam, during a hearing on Monday in Abuja, following the NNPCL management’s repeated failure to honour previous invitations.
In a letter read during the session, NNPCL attributed its absence to a meeting with the president and requested a 60-day extension.
Rep. Salam described the company’s repeated non-appearance as unacceptable, noting that correspondence had been sent over seven times without compliance.
He highlighted concerns raised by the Auditor-General for the Federation regarding significant revenue shortfalls amounting to trillions of naira that should have been remitted into the federation account.
“The only way we will agree that this is a new NNPCL is to see a shift in the conduct of your affairs, including your corporate management practices, which are part of accountability,” Salam said.
He urged the company to submit all outstanding documents before the next hearing.
Other lawmakers echoed the sentiment. Rep. Hassan Bappa (PDP-Taraba) stressed that NNPCL cannot be above parliamentary oversight, while Rep. Kafilat Ogbara (APC-Lagos) and Deputy Chairman Rep. Jeremiah Umaru (APC-Nasarawa) advocated for compelling the company to appear before the end of the week.
Earlier, NNPCL’s Liaison Officer to the National Assembly, Umar Farooq, explained that the management’s absence was due to a last-minute directive from the presidency.
He assured the committee that the “new NNPCL” is prepared and willing to partner with parliament for greater transparency and accountability.
The committee’s decision underscores the legislature’s determination to hold government agencies accountable and ensure that revenue due to the federation is properly remitted.