Senate threatens action against NNPCL, FIRS, others over audit defiance

Reps seek special intervention funds for NSCDC, Customs to combat oil theft

The Senate, through its Committee on Public Accounts, has slammed the management of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), the Nigeria Police Force, and 12 other agencies for persistently refusing to respond to queries raised against them in the 2019 Audit Report.

Expressing the committee’s frustration to journalists on Tuesday, the Chairman, Senator Ahmed Wadada Aliyu (SDP Nasarawa West), stated that the heads of the affected agencies had repeatedly ignored opportunities to respond to the queries.

Wadada warned that going forward, any agency that refuses to honour invitations to defend its queries will have those queries sustained and reported to the Senate Plenary by the committee.

He added that the persistent refusal of these public agencies to respond to audit queries was frustrating and detrimental to the aspirations and goals of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

According to Wadada, in addition to the NNPCL, FIRS, and the Police, other agencies involved in this practice include the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, the Nigeria Mining Cadastre Office, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (formerly DPR), and the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment.

Other agencies named include the FCT Internal Revenue Service, the Nigeria Immigration Service, the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs, the Ministry of Defence, and the Nigeria Communications Satellite Limited.

Wadada said: “It is worthy to note that the Committee commenced consideration of the Audit Report in October 2023, with the intention of presenting its findings to the Plenary.

“However, some agencies have willfully failed to honor invitations to defend their written responses to the audit queries submitted to the Committee Secretariat. Beyond the requirement for submitting written responses to audit queries, part of the Committee’s rules of engagement requires that Accounting Officers attend the Committee’s Public Hearing to respond to questions arising from the analysis of their submissions, which in turn forms the basis for informed decisions by the Committee.”

He added: “The desire of the Public Accounts Committee to timely discharge its constitutional and legislative function is being hindered by the evasive and negative actions of some CEOs or accounting officers of the concerned MDAs. The Committee is very displeased with the foot-dragging attitude of agencies that are legally expected to respond to parliamentary invitations and account for their actions.

“The Committee has repeatedly extended invitations to these agencies, providing them with ample opportunities to defend their queries, but for reasons best known to them, they have chosen to disregard these invitations.

“It is on this note that we, as a committee, have resolved that going forward, the Senate Public Accounts Committee will proceed to consider their audit queries as contained in the Auditor-General’s Annual Report. Any MDA that fails to honor invitations to respond and present its defense will have the Auditor’s position adopted by the Committee.”

Meanwhile, the House of Representatives Special Committee on Oil Theft/Losses has recommended special intervention funds for the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) to enhance their performance.

This is also as the Commandant General of NSCDC also alleged that the NNPCL has sidelined them, refusing to allow them to contribute to their core mandate, adding that NNPCL, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), and the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation have not included them in the special intervention fund.

Chairman of the committee, Alhasan Ado Doguwa, made this recommendation during a special session on combating crude oil theft in Abuja. Doguwa expressed disappointment over the lack of support for NSCDC to fulfill its constitutional mandate.

The NSCDC Commandant General, represented by Deputy Commandant General Philip Ayuba, highlighted the corps’ crucial role in protecting critical national assets and infrastructure. However, he noted that the corps has not received special intervention funds from any agencies, hindering their ability to operate effectively.

Similarly, the Comptroller of the Nigeria Customs Service, represented by Assistant Comptroller Custom Oloyede Adekunle, complained about the lack of assistance from any establishment to carry out their assignment.

The Committee Chairman promised to ensure NSCDC is fully involved in the fight against oil theft and losses, commending the Federal Government’s efforts in protecting oil and gas infrastructure.

He called on the security agencies present during the meeting to speak up and share their challenges for the Committee to make informed decisions that will help the country.