The Senate, on Tuesday, threatened to invoke it’s powers to compel appearance of external auditors of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL).
The Senate threatened the auditors with warrant of arrests following the failure of the four auditors to appear before its Committee on Public Accounts, to answer questions related to the company’s financial statements for the years 2017- 2023.
The Chairman, Senate Public Accounts Committee, Senator Aliyu Wadada, who issued the threat at a media briefing at the National Assembly, said it was completely unacceptable that citizens saddled with public trust would consistently breach the confidence reposed in them.
Tensions rose in the Committee room when none of the four external auditing firms engaged by NNPCL appeared before the Committee, despite being formally invited to clarify what the Committee described as “contentious issues” in the NNPCL’s annual and political financial statements.
The members of the Senate Panel were infuriated that instead of making appearances, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) appeared on their behalf, claiming he had been delegated to represent them.
The Committee, however, rejected the appearance of the SAN, describing it as inappropriate and inconsistent with the rules of engagement. According to the committee, only the actual auditors—those who prepared the reports—are deemed fit to provide answers and clarifications. “We found him not fit and proper as of today to stand before us as a representative of the external auditing firms,” Wadada stated.
The Committee, however, rejected the appearance of the SAN, describing it as inappropriate and inconsistent with the rules of engagement. According to the committee, only the actual auditors—those who prepared the reports—are deemed fit to provide answers and clarifications. “We found him not fit and proper as of today to stand before us as a representative of the external auditing firms”.
The committee also listed the names of the external auditing firms involved, which include SIAO, VWC, Muktali Dangana & Co and lastly Ahmed Zakaria & Co, stressing that these firms were expected to appear individually to respond to specific queries raised in the examination of NNPCL’s 2023 accounts.
“If they do not appear as summoned, we will have no choice but to invoke the powers available to us under the law to compel their attendance. The Nigerian public and the international community deserve to know the truth,” the committee warned.
The lawmakers hinted that failure to honour the new deadline could lead to full public disclosure of the financial irregularities under scrutiny, as well as legal steps to compel compliance.
Also, Senator Saliu Mustapha, pointed out that “There are sensitive issues that must be addressed. We cannot allow them to be swept under the carpet. Our duty as representatives of the Nigerian people demands that we ensure full accountability,” a member of the committee.
In a firm resolution, the Committee issued a final warning, giving the external auditors a new deadline of Tuesday, May 27, 2025, at exactly 2:00 PM to appear in person before it.
“We are giving the auditors of NNVC two weeks from now—but to be clear, they must appear next week Tuesday,” the committee stated, signaling its unwillingness to tolerate further delays.”
