After series of failed appearance before Senate Committee on Public Accounts for explanations on yet to be accounted N210trillion in the audit reports of Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited ( NNPCL), from 2017 to 2023, its immediate past management , reached out to the committee on Wednesday.
The committee led by Senator Aliyu Wadada Ahmed (Nasarawa West), however , threatened to issue warrant of arrest on the Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPCL, Engineer Bayo Ojulari if he fails to appear before it on May 13, 2026, rescheduled for another investigative session with the affected officers .
At the session on Wednesday, the immediate past Chief Finance Officer of NNPCL, Umar Ajia was physically present and handed copies of the audit reports containing queries on the unaccounted N210trillion after being put on oath.
Though the immediate past GCEO of NNPCL, Mele Kyari and former Chief Upstream Investment Officer , Bala Wunti , did not attend the session physically but reach out to the committee on phone about their readiness to appear before it .
Kyari as disclosed by the Committee Chairman, called him before the session while Wunti called Senator Abdul Ningi ( Bauchi Central) , that he would surely make himself available at next sitting of the committee .
Earlier at the commencement of the Session, the chairman of the committee frowned at the letter written to the committee by current GCEO of NNPCL, Bayo Ojulari used to explain his absence .
He pointedly told the Chief Relations Officer , Morenike Adewumi who signed the letter dated 29th April 2026 , the very day of the session that , if Ojulari fails to appear on 13th of next month before the committee by 3:00pm, warrant of arrest would be issued against him .
“Ojulari must appear before this committee at the next session , failure which will lead to his being brought before us by force,” he said.
Meanwhile, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the removal of Mr Saidu Mohammed as the Authority Chief Executive of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), in the public interest.
The president has also approved the nomination of Mr. Rabiu Abdullahi Umar as the new chief executive of the NMDPRA. The appointment is subject to Senate confirmation.
This decision, made pursuant to the Petroleum Industry Act 2021, is aimed at strengthening regulatory effectiveness in the midstream and downstream petroleum sector, in line with the Renewed Hope Agenda.
