The Senate Committee on Public Accounts has issued a 72-hour ultimatum to the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), and several other government agencies to appear before it over unresolved audit queries.
The directive followed the agencies’ failure to honour invitations extended by the committee to provide explanations on issues raised in their audited accounts. The committee noted that none of the affected agencies offered any reason for their absence.
Chairman of the Senate Committee on Public Accounts, Senator Ibrahim Dankwambo, described the development as unacceptable, stressing that responding to invitations from the National Assembly is a constitutional obligation and a key aspect of its oversight responsibilities aimed at ensuring accountability in the management of public resources.
Some members of the committee also condemned the agencies’ absence, describing it as a display of disrespect for the authority of the National Assembly. The lawmakers called for appropriate sanctions against defaulting agencies to discourage similar conduct in the future.
The committee has now given the affected agencies until August 6 to appear before it and respond to the outstanding audit issues. It warned that any agency that fails to meet the new deadline will be subjected to further legislative action in line with the powers of the National Assembly.