Kyari appears before Senate over alleged N210tn NNPCL discrepancies

Former Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, Mele Kyari, appeared before the Senate Committee on Public Accounts on Tuesday to answer questions over alleged financial discrepancies exceeding N210tn in the company's accounts.

Kyari's appearance followed months of pressure from lawmakers, who had threatened to invoke their constitutional powers to compel him to honour invitations concerning unresolved audit queries covering the 2017 to 2023 financial years.
The former NNPCL chief arrived at Hearing Room 4 of the National Assembly with a delegation of oil company officials.

The investigation was triggered by audit queries forwarded to the committee by the Office of the Auditor-General for the Federation, seeking explanations for alleged financial irregularities in the company's records.

The committee, chaired by Senator Ibrahim Dankwambo, representing Gombe North, had previously expressed frustration over Kyari's alleged failure to honour several invitations.
Following the development, lawmakers resolved to invoke their constitutional powers to secure his appearance.
The resolution followed a motion by Senator Victor Umeh, representing Anambra Central, amid concerns that repeated attempts to obtain explanations from the former NNPCL boss were frustrating the investigation.

Senator Adams Oshiomhole had also mounted pressure on the committee to take stronger action, accusing Kyari of failing to account for alleged financial mismanagement during his tenure.
The former Edo State governor urged the panel to issue an arrest warrant, insisting that Kyari must personally appear before lawmakers rather than send representatives.
Oshiomhole had argued that the former NNPCL chief should be made to explain his stewardship and account for the company's financial records.
However, the Senate clarified that no committee of the National Assembly could issue, authorise or execute an arrest warrant without complying with the provisions of the Legislative Houses (Powers and Privileges) Act and obtaining the express approval of the Senate President.
The upper chamber also distanced itself from Oshiomhole's description of the NNPCL as “a bunch of criminals and thieves”, declaring that the comments did not represent the position of the Senate.
Kyari's appearance marks a significant development in the committee's investigation into the outstanding audit queries, which involve more than N210tn and cover six years of the national oil company's financial records.