The Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Bayo Ojulari, has again failed to appear before the Senate Committee on Public Accounts.
The committee chaired by Senator Aliyu Wadada (Nasarawa West) had following Bayo Ojulari’s failure to appear before it to make clarifications on ₦210 trillion not accounted for in the audit reports of 2017 to 2023, issued a 10-day ultimatum to him to appear on Thursday.
But instead of appearing in person, the NNPCL GCEO sent representatives to the hearing convened by the committee.
However, the committee refused to engage with the delegation, insisting that the NNPCL boss must appear to address the 11 critical financial queries raised in the company’s audited statements.
The senators described Ojulari’s continued failure to appear as a direct affront to the authority of the National Assembly and a breach of its oversight responsibilities.
The committee’s chairman, Senator Wadada, said the Senate would not tolerate further disrespect, stressing that the committee would communicate a new date to the GCEO to appear in person.
The public accounts committee is probing significant discrepancies in NNPCL’s financial records, which lawmakers say raise serious questions of accountability and transparency.
(Daily Trust)