The Senate Committee on Public Accounts has issued a final 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 issues.
The directive followed the failure of officials from the affected agencies to honour invitations to appear before the committee on Monday or communicate reasons for their absence, prompting lawmakers to express strong displeasure.
Chairman of the committee, Senator Ibrahim Dankwambo, said the hearing was part of the Senate’s constitutional oversight responsibilities aimed at addressing pending audit matters and improving accountability across public institutions.
According to him: “We wanted to reduce the volume of work to enhance our oversight. The letters and invitations were issued, but our guests have not arrived.”
The absence of the agencies drew sharp criticism from members of the committee, who described the development as a slight on the authority of the National Assembly.
Senator Babangida Hussaini condemned the non-appearance of the invited officials, warning that such conduct undermines legislative oversight.
He said: “The committee has powers, and it is most disrespectful to the National Assembly for any agency to fail to appear to respond to audit queries. This committee needs to take drastic action. The Senate is being taken for granted, and that must stop forthwith.”
Echoing the same position, Senator Patrick Ndubueze argued that the agencies had squandered any goodwill by ignoring the invitations without offering explanations.
He stated: “The proper consequences should be laid down and carried out. They don’t deserve a second chance. If they can’t attend to this important arm of government after invitations were sent and no explanations were given, they don’t deserve another chance.”
Following deliberations, the committee resolved to grant what it described as a final 72-hour window for the affected agencies to appear before lawmakers on August 6 and respond to the outstanding audit queries.
The committee also warned that any agency that fails to honour the summons within the stipulated period could face further legislative sanctions in line with the Senate’s oversight powers.
(Ripples)