Amanze ChinonyeThe Nigerian Senate has expressed strong displeasure over the repeated failure of the Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Engineer Bayo Ojulari, to appear before its Committee on Public Accounts to address audit queries involving a staggering ₦210 trillion allegedly unaccounted for in NNPCL’s financial records between 2017 and 2023.
Ojulari has now failed to honour three consecutive invitations issued by the committee. The first and second summonses were delivered earlier in July 2025, and the third was officially issued on Thursday, July 11, 2025. Each was ignored without satisfactory explanation, according to committee members.
Join our WhatsApp ChannelAt the latest committee hearing on Wednesday, July 23, the Committee Chairman, Senator Aliyu Wadada (Nasarawa West), inquired from the Clerk, Mohammed Sani Abdullahi, about the NNPCL boss’s attendance. He was informed that Ojulari was absent once again this time citing an emergency presidential summons.
A letter dated Tuesday, July 22, 2025, and read before the committee, stated that Ojulari was “urgently summoned” by President Bola Tinubu around 1:00 p.m. on Tuesday, which prevented his appearance before the Senate panel.
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The explanation drew the ire of several senators, who expressed frustration at what they described as a deliberate and continued show of disregard for the National Assembly.
Senator Victor Umeh (Anambra Central) stressed that while presidential directives hold weight, they must not serve as a blanket excuse to flout legislative oversight.
Also speaking, Senator Joel Thomas Onowakpo (Delta South) accused the GCEO of treating the Senate with contempt, while Senator Aminu Abbas (Adamawa Central) described the repeated absence as a “clear sign of disrespect for the legislative institution.”
Following heated deliberations, the committee issued a fourth and final invitation, summoning Ojulari to appear on Thursday, July 24, 2025, at exactly 3:00 p.m. or face the possibility of a warrant of arrest.
Chairman Wadada emphasized that the committee will no longer tolerate evasiveness on matters as grave as public fund accountability. “The integrity of our oversight function and the confidence of the Nigerian people demand nothing less than full transparency,” he said.
The unresolved ₦210 trillion audit query stems from discrepancies raised by the Office of the Auditor-General for the Federation in relation to NNPCL’s operations over a six-year period.
As lawmakers await Ojulari’s response, tensions remain high within the National Assembly over the seeming impunity and lack of cooperation from heads of key government parastatals.
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