N210trn Audit Probe: Senate Summons NNPCL Ex-Chiefs

Former NNPCL executives, on Wednesday, reached out to the Senate after repeated failures to appear before the Senate Committee on Public Accounts, N210 trillion flagged in audit reports from 2017 to 2023.

The Senate Committee on Public Accounts, chaired by Senator Aliyu Wadada (Nasarawa West), issued a fresh ultimatum, threatening that the Group CEO of NNPCL, Bayo Ojulari, must appear on May 13, 2026, or face arrest.

During the session, ex-Chief Finance Officer Umar Ajia appeared in person and was handed copies of the audit reports containing the queries on the unaccounted N210 trillion.

Former GCEO Mele Kyari and ex-Chief Upstream Investment Officer Bala Wunti were absent but contacted the Panel. Wadada said Kyari called him directly before the session. Wunti phoned Senator Abdul Ningi (Bauchi Central), promising to attend the next sitting.

The committee blasted Ojulari’s excuse letter. Dated April 29— the same day as the hearing — it was signed by Chief Relations Officer Morenike Adewumi.

“Ojulari must appear before this committee on May 13 by 3:00 pm. If he fails, a warrant of arrest will be issued. He will be brought before us by force,” Wadada threatened.

Senator Adams Oshiomhole, Edo North, called the letter “totally disrespectful”, saying that sending a subordinate to explain the GCEO’s absence shows contempt for the Senate.

“What cannot be explained must be deemed stolen,” Oshiomhole fired. “If there is no Nigeria, there can be no NNPCL, let alone its GCEO. He needs to be put where he belongs.”

The Committee sent Adewumi and Financial Controller Tajudeen Kareem back to Ojulari with a clear message: show up on May 13, no excuses.

It also ordered both officials to deliver copies of the NNPCL audit reports to Kyari and Wunti ahead of the next session.