The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited ( NNPCL) has requested for additional time to defend 19 audit queries covering over ₦210 trillion in unaccounted funds from its 2017–2023 financial statements.
The Senate Committee on Public Accounts, disclosed this on Tuesday during plenary.
It will be recalled that the Senate had in July given NNPCL’s Chief Executive Officer, Engineer Bayo Ojulari, three weeks to explain the discrepancies flagged in the Auditor-General’s reports.
The period under scrutiny spans NNPCL’s transition from a public corporation to a limited liability company under the Petroleum Industry Act.
Speaking with journalists after the plenary, the committee chairman, Senator Aliyu Wadada (Nasarawa West), confirmed that the company has now submitted its responses but noted that the committee has yet to scrutinise them.
“While we were on recess, management of NNPCL wrote to the committee requesting an extension of time to enable them to compile data and respond comprehensively to the questions we raised — and we granted that request.
“They have since responded, and we now have answers to all 19 questions we sent to them. However, the report is yet to be presented before the committee. That is why, as chairman, I have refrained from making any public statement on the matter until it is properly laid before members.
“But let me assure you, as I promised earlier on behalf of the committee, we will do justice to the matter,” Wadada explained.
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