Senate has intensified scrutiny of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, issuing a firm directive for its management to appear before the Committee on Public Accounts on April 29, 2026, to explain an alleged N210 trillion unaccounted for in audit reports covering 2017 to 2023.

The committee specifically mandated the Group Chief Executive Officer, Bayo Ojulari, to appear alongside the immediate past GCEO, Mele Kyari; former Chief Financial Officer, Umar Ajia, Bala Wunti, and the company’s external auditors.

The Senate stressed that their appearance must be “unfailing,” signalling growing impatience over repeated delays.

The resolution followed a motion moved by Osita Izunaso and seconded by Adams Oshiomhole, reflecting bipartisan concern over the scale of the financial discrepancies.

Chairman of the committee, Aliyu Wadada, stated that the explanations previously submitted by NNPCL were inadequate and lacked the level of detail expected in matters of such magnitude.

He faulted the company’s claim that N103 trillion represented liabilities, arguing that liabilities must be properly broken down into specific components such as retention fees, legal fees, and audit fees, each with clearly stated figures.

Wadada also raised concerns over the remaining N107 trillion, which NNPCL attributed to Joint Venture Cash Call obligations and debts allegedly linked to unnamed defunct banks. He insisted that vague references were unacceptable and that Nigerians deserved precise, verifiable explanations.