The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the House of Representatives has summoned the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Bayo Ojulari, to appear before the committee on Monday, December 15, 2025, to respond to multiple audit queries for the 2021 financial year raised by the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation (OAuGF).
The directive was issued by PAC Chairman Bamidele Salam during the committee’s sitting at the National Assembly Complex in Abuja. Salam expressed concern over NNPCL’s repeated failure to honour previous invitations or submit requested documents, warning that the committee’s patience had been exhausted.
“Despite several reminders, the company has not complied with our requests. This committee will not abdicate its constitutional duty to scrutinise agencies under its purview,” Salam said.
During the resumed hearing, Salam read a letter from Ojulari citing an official engagement at the Presidential Villa as the reason for his absence. Committee members, however, rejected the explanation, describing it as disrespectful to the National Assembly and an obstruction to the audit review process.
Following an appeal by NNPCL’s National Assembly Liaison Officer, Umar Farouk, the committee granted a final extension, setting December 15 as the firm date for appearance and submission of all outstanding documents. “We have agreed to give you till next Monday, December 15, for a fresh appearance. This committee is extremely busy; if you had been attending recent sessions, you would understand the volume of matters before us,” Salam stated.
NNPCL is expected to address numerous audit red flags, including alleged payments to contractors for abandoned projects, failure to deduct statutory taxes, and irregular payments reportedly authorised by the Chief Finance Officer without approval from the then Group Managing Director.
The PAC, empowered by the constitution to examine audit reports from the Auditor-General, has in recent years expanded its oversight to tackle misuse of public funds, contract inflation, unauthorised expenditures, unretired advances, and non-remittance of revenue to the Federation Account. Its interventions have led to significant recoveries for the Federal Government and exposed widespread breaches of procurement and financial regulations.
The petroleum sector, particularly NNPCL, has been a recurrent focus of PAC hearings due to persistent audit concerns, including opaque subsidy claims, undocumented payments, joint venture cash calls, and gaps in crude oil sales and remittances.
The committee reiterated that no institution, regardless of size or strategic importance, is exempt from parliamentary oversight.
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