Revenue probe: Reps reject NNPCL’s request for extension, set new deadline

Kindly share this story:

The House of Representatives Committee on Public Accounts has scheduled December 15 for the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Ltd. to appear and address alleged revenue leakages in the company.

Chairman of the committee, Bamidele Salam, gave the ruling at a hearing on Monday in Abuja after the NNPCL management failed to honour several earlier invitations.

In a letter addressed to the committee and read by Salam, the NNPCL management blamed its absence at Monday’s hearing on a meeting with the president, and asked for a 60-day extension.

The lawmaker, however, said the committee had written to the NNPCL management more than seven times to appear, but it had declined to honour any of the invitations, giving similar excuses.

In his ruling, Salam said the committee found it unacceptable that such a large corporate organisation had “consistently defied” notices of hearing.

He said some major issues had been identified by the Auditor-General for the Federation, most of which bordered on revenue leakages amounting to trillions of naira that ought to have accrued to the government through NNPCL operations.

The lawmaker noted that the revenues had not been remitted into the federation account.

“The only way we will agree that this is a new NNPCL is to see a shift in the conduct of your affairs, including your corporate management practice, which is part of accountability.

“We do not think that the NNPCL should continue in this seeming contempt of the parliament.

“So, we agree as a committee to give you up till next week, Monday, December 15, for a fresh appearance.

“We are dealing with so many issues. If you have been here in the last couple of weeks, you will see the things we are doing.

“Please ensure that whoever has the responsibility to submit any of the outstanding documents that have not been submitted does so.

“It is very important that we have the necessary documents to work with before the date,” he said.

Hassan Bappa (PDP–Taraba) said it was the responsibility of the committee to oversight institutions in Nigeria, stressing that NNPCL could not be above the committee.

“I can tell you, if you see how NNPCL has been flouting various committees in this House, I think this is their final bus stop,” he said.

Supporting the argument, Kafilat Ogbara (APC–Lagos) said the company had failed to honour invitations several times and should not be allowed to dictate a new date.

She said the committee should move a motion to compel NNPCL to appear before the week runs out—a position also held by the Deputy Chairman of the committee, Jeremiah Umaru (APC–Nasarawa).

Earlier, the NNPCL Liaison Officer to the National Assembly, Mr Umar Farooq, said the absence of the NNPCL management was not deliberate.

Farooq said the management was already prepared to appear before the committee until a letter from the presidency arrived late Friday night.

“Mr Chairman Sir, if you can recall, we were here with you on Friday; we were here with you, I mean, on Wednesday, to show our seriousness and to show the readiness of our management to come and appear before this august committee.

“Unfortunately, we could not, due to the letter we received from the presidency.

“It is now a new NNPCL that is willing and ready to partner with the parliament for the good of all Nigerians,” he said.

NAN

Kindly share this story:

All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH.

Contact: [email protected]

UPDATE NEWS: Nigerians can now invest ₦2.5million on premium domains and profit about ₦17-₦25Million. All earnings paid in US Dollars. Rather than wonder, 👉 click here to find out how it work (Be sure to ask for evidence of clients that have benefitted from this)

Stay informed and ahead of the curve! Follow The Punch Newspaper on WhatsApp for real-time updates, breaking news, and exclusive content. Don't miss a headline – join now!

Stay in the know—fast. Get instant alerts, breaking headlines, and exclusive stories with the Punch News App. Download now and never miss a beat.