The Senate Committee on Public Accounts has given the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) and several other government agencies a final 72-hour ultimatum to appear before it over their failure to honour invitations concerning unresolved audit queries.
The directive followed the absence of the agencies at the committee’s special public hearing on the 2021, 2022 and 2023 NEITI oil and gas industry audit reports, resulting in the postponement of proceedings.
The hearing was organised to review audit findings on revenues, remittances, financial obligations and compliance within Nigeria’s oil and gas sector, while strengthening legislative oversight of public institutions.
More than 50 ministries, departments, agencies and oil and gas companies were scheduled to appear before the committee between August 3 and August 25, 2026. However, officials of the affected agencies failed to attend the opening session and reportedly provided no formal explanation for their absence.
Chairman of the committee, Senator Ibrahim Dankwambo, expressed disappointment over the development, noting that adequate notices had been issued through official invitations and public advertisements. He said the hearing was intended to resolve pending audit issues and improve accountability in the management of public resources.
Several committee members described the absence of the agencies as a disregard for the authority of the National Assembly and an affront to the Nigerian public.
Lawmakers stressed that public institutions have a constitutional obligation to account for the management of public funds and warned that failure to respond to legislative oversight undermines transparency and good governance.
Following deliberations, the committee unanimously resolved to reschedule the appearance of the defaulting agencies to Thursday, August 6, 2026, giving them a final 72-hour opportunity to comply.
Senator Dankwambo warned that any agency that fails to honour the rescheduled invitation could face sanctions in accordance with the provisions of the 1999 Constitution and the Senate Standing Orders.
He also directed the committee’s secretariat to immediately notify all affected agencies of the committee’s decision and the consequences of continued non-compliance.
Meanwhile, the committee is expected to continue its public hearing with other invited institutions, including the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC) and other relevant agencies.
