By Peter Omopo
The House of Representatives Committee on Public Accounts has rejected a request by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) for a 60-day extension to appear before it, insisting that the company must honour a new deadline of December 15 to address allegations of massive revenue leakages.
Committee Chairman, Bamidele Salam, issued the directive during a hearing on Monday in Abuja after NNPCL again failed to attend, despite what lawmakers described as more than seven invitations previously sent to the company.
A letter from the NNPCL management, read aloud by Salam, claimed the organisation could not attend Monday’s session because its executives were engaged in a meeting with President Bola Tinubu. It then requested an additional 60 days to prepare for the probe.
The committee rejected the request outright.
Salam said NNPCL’s serial failure to honour invitations amounted to “consistent defiance” of parliamentary oversight, noting that the Auditor-General of the Federation had raised critical issues involving alleged revenue leakages running into trillions of naira 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 the conduct of your affairs and corporate management practices. We do not think NNPCL should continue in this seeming contempt of parliament,” he said.
The committee then resolved that the NNPCL must appear on Monday, December 15, and ensure full submission of all outstanding documents ahead of the session.
Hassan Bappa (PDP–Taraba) condemned the company’s persistent disregard for National Assembly committees, describing the ongoing probe as NNPCL’s “final bus stop.”
Similarly, Kafilat Ogbara (APC–Lagos) argued that NNPCL should not be allowed to dictate terms to the legislature after ignoring multiple invitations. She and Deputy Chairman of the committee, Jeremiah Umaru (APC–Nasarawa), called for a motion compelling the company’s appearance within the week.
Defending the organisation, NNPCL’s Liaison Officer to the National Assembly, Umar Farooq, said the management’s absence was not deliberate. He explained that the team had been ready to appear before the committee until it received a letter from the presidency late Friday night.
“We were here on Wednesday to demonstrate our seriousness and readiness. Unfortunately, we could not attend due to the late communication from the presidency. This is a new NNPCL willing to partner with the parliament,” he assured.
The committee, however, maintained that NNPCL must show accountability by complying with the new deadline.
