The Senate Committee on Public Accounts has issued a final 72-hour ultimatum to the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) and several other government agencies to appear before it over unresolved audit queries.
The committee handed down the directive on Monday after officials of the affected agencies failed to honour invitations to appear before lawmakers and did not provide any formal explanation for their absence.
The ultimatum forms part of the committee’s ongoing oversight of federal agencies based on findings contained in reports of the Auditor-General for the Federation, with the panel seeking explanations on outstanding financial and administrative issues.
Speaking during the session, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Public Accounts, Senator Ibrahim Dankwambo, expressed disappointment over the absence of the invited agencies, describing the development as a setback to the committee’s constitutional oversight responsibilities.
According to him, the panel had scheduled the hearing to reduce the backlog of pending audit matters and improve accountability in public institutions.
“We wanted to reduce the volume of work to enhance our oversight. The letters and invitations were issued, but our guests have not arrived,” Dankwambo said.
Several lawmakers also criticised the agencies for ignoring the committee’s summons, warning that such actions undermine the authority of the National Assembly.
Senator Babangida Hussaini described the failure of the agencies to appear before the committee as disrespectful to the legislature and urged the panel to invoke its constitutional powers if the agencies continued to disregard its invitations.
“The committee has powers, and it is most disrespectful to the National Assembly for any agency to fail to appear to respond to audit queries,” he said.
“This committee needs to take drastic action. The Senate is being taken for granted, and that must stop forthwith.”
Also contributing, Senator Patrick Ndubueze called for sanctions against the defaulting agencies, arguing that they had shown disregard for an important arm of government by failing to honour the invitations without offering any explanation.
“The proper consequences should be laid down and carried out. They don’t deserve a second chance. If they can’t attend to this important arm of government after invitations were sent and no explanations were given, they don’t deserve another chance,” he said.
Following deliberations, the committee resolved to issue what it described as a final 72-hour ultimatum, directing the affected agencies to appear before it on Thursday, August 6, to respond to the audit observations.
The lawmakers warned that failure to comply with the summons could trigger further legislative action, including the invocation of the National Assembly’s constitutional powers to compel attendance and ensure accountability.
The Senate Committee on Public Accounts is responsible for examining the audited accounts of ministries, departments and agencies of government to ensure transparency, prudent management of public funds and compliance with financial regulations.
The latest directive underscores the Senate’s renewed resolve to strengthen oversight of public institutions and ensure that government agencies account for the management of public resources in line with constitutional and statutory provisions.
