Lawmakers cite repeated failure to honour summons as they intensify scrutiny of NNPCL audit queries; former CFO Umar Ajia, Bala Wunti and the company’s external auditors also listed to appear before the panel.
Abuja: The Senate Committee on Public Accounts has issued a warrant for the arrest of former Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Mele Kyari, following his alleged repeated failure to honour invitations to appear before lawmakers investigating audit queries valued at N210 trillion.
The committee took the decision on Wednesday after Kyari failed to appear at a resumed hearing examining audit observations contained in reports of the Office of the Auditor-General for the Federation covering the period from 2017 to 2023.
The audit queries relate to financial records and transactions flagged in the Auditor-General’s reports on the expenditures of ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs).
The committee had earlier invited the leadership of NNPCL to appear before it and provide explanations on the audit observations. Current NNPCL Group Chief Executive Officer, Bayo Ojulari, was expected to lead the delegation.
Also listed to appear before the committee were Kyari, former Chief Financial Officer; Umar Ajia, former Group General Manager, National Petroleum Investment Management Services (NAPIMS); Bala Wunti; and the company’s external auditors.
Tension rose during the hearing when lawmakers noted Kyari’s absence, with members expressing frustration over what they described as a pattern of non-compliance with the committee’s summons.
Moving a motion for the issuance of a warrant of arrest, Senator Victor Umeh said the former NNPCL chief had failed to demonstrate sufficient regard for the committee’s constitutional oversight responsibilities.
“Kyari should be here; we cannot wait for him to appear before us at his convenience,” Umeh said.
“It is a national emergency that Mele Kyari should cut short his trip anywhere in the world and return home. He should come before this committee to answer the questions put by the Auditor-General for the Federation against NNPCL.
“We are talking about trillions of naira. The country is not faring well. If we have access to these funds, we will not be in this financial challenge. He must come and explain what has happened to these funds.”
However, Senator Tony Nwoye told the committee that Kyari had previously assured him that he would appear before lawmakers.
Nwoye said information available to him indicated that the former NNPCL boss was receiving medical treatment in Germany.
“I spoke to Mele Kyari about a week ago, and he promised that he would be here. But incidentally, I learnt last night that the man is hospitalised in Germany,” he said.
The explanation failed to convince some members of the committee.
Senator Onyekachi Nwaebonyi objected to Nwoye’s intervention, arguing that he was not authorised to speak on Kyari’s behalf.
Nwaebonyi further alleged that Kyari had ignored the committee’s invitations on nine consecutive occasions and urged lawmakers to compel his appearance through a warrant of arrest.
He subsequently seconded Umeh’s motion.
Chairman of the committee, Senator Ibrahim Dankwambo, put the motion to a vote, which was unanimously adopted by members.
The committee thereafter ordered that a warrant of arrest be issued against the former NNPCL chief as it intensifies its probe into the unresolved audit queries.
The investigation forms part of the Senate’s ongoing efforts to scrutinise audit observations raised against government agencies and ensure accountability in the management of public resources.
