Senate Warns NNPCL GCEO Over Repeated Absence in N210 Trillion Probe

The Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Bayo Ojulari, has drawn sharp criticism from the Senate Committee on Public Accounts after failing, once again, to honour a summons concerning alleged unaccounted funds totaling N210 trillion.

Despite being given a 10-day ultimatum to appear before the committee, Ojulari was absent at Thursday’s session and instead sent company representatives in his place. The committee, chaired by Senator Aliyu Wadada (SDP, Nasarawa), rejected the delegation outright, insisting that only Ojulari himself could respond to the 11 pressing audit questions covering NNPCL’s financial records from 2017 to 2023.

Senator Wadada condemned the GCEO’s repeated absence as “an insult to the authority of the National Assembly” and a clear breach of legislative oversight. “We will not allow this level of disregard to persist. The Senate will issue a fresh date, and we expect full compliance,” he stated.

This is the second time NNPCL’s top leadership has failed to attend a Senate hearing. Earlier, Chief Financial Officer Dapo Segun had cited a management retreat as the reason for their non-appearance.

The Senate’s inquiries stem from alleged discrepancies in NNPCL’s audited financial reports, which lawmakers say raise serious questions about transparency and accountability within the state-owned oil giant.

As tensions escalate between the legislature and NNPCL over financial disclosures, the committee is expected to take further steps to compel Ojulari’s personal appearance in the coming days.