Abayomi susan
The Senate Committee on Public Accounts has issued a 72-hour ultimatum to the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), and other government agencies to appear before it and respond to outstanding audit queries.
The directive followed the failure of representatives of the invited agencies to attend the committee’s meeting on Monday, with no official explanation provided for their absence.
Chairman of the committee, Senator Ibrahim Dankwambo, explained that the invitations were part of the committee’s oversight mandate aimed at addressing audit concerns and reducing the volume of pending matters before the lawmakers.
“We wanted to reduce the volume of work to enhance our oversight. The letters and invitations were issued, but our guests have not arrived,” Dankwambo said.
The development drew the displeasure of members of the committee, with Senator Babangida Hussaini describing the failure of the agencies to appear as disrespectful to the National Assembly.
He stressed that the committee had the constitutional authority to demand accountability from government institutions and warned that such disregard for legislative oversight would no longer be tolerated.
“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,” Hussaini stated.
Similarly, Senator Patrick Ndubueze called for appropriate sanctions against the affected agencies, arguing that institutions that ignored official invitations without justification should face the consequences.
According to him, the agencies should not be granted another opportunity after failing to honour the committee’s invitation.
Following deliberations, the committee resolved to give the affected agencies a final 72-hour window to appear before it on August 6, warning that failure to comply could lead to further legislative measures.
