Senator Adeola Olamilekan, Chairman of the Senate Appropriation Committee, issued a directive on Wednesday, giving Mele Kyari, the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), a 24-hour ultimatum to appear before the committee.
The directive also includes the presence of the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC).
Olamilekan emphasized that the failure to comply with this directive would undermine the legislative process and pose a threat to its integrity.
The summoned individuals are required to submit a comprehensive list of all companies operating with Oil Mining Leases (OML) licenses in Nigeria, along with the daily approved total production output.
Expressing concern, the lawmaker highlighted that some of the crucial revenue contributing to the 2024 budget is linked to the NNPCL, an entity owned by the Federal Government. According to him, the NNPCL is accountable to the government and, by extension, to all three arms of the government.
This development follows the NNPCL’s refusal, for the second time, to respond to summonses by the Senate regarding its appearance before the committee investigating over N11 trillion in expenditures on the turnaround maintenance of refineries in Nigeria from 2010 to 2023. The absence of Kyari, whose organization is central to the investigation, impeded the Senate panel’s progress on the matter.