The Senate Committee on Public Accounts has ordered the arrest of former Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited Group Chief Executive Officer, Mele Kyari for failing to honour a summons over alleged ₦210 trillion discrepancies in the company’s accounts from 2017 to 2023.
But the former Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of the NNPCL, Umar Ajiya Isa, dismissed claims that N210 trillion was missing from the company’s books, describing the allegation as impossible and misleading.
The committee is investigating 19 audit queries raised by the Office of the Auditor-General for the Federation against the national oil company.
Some lawmakers appealed for restraint, on the strength that Kyari is currently receiving medical treatment in Germany.
At the hearing on Wednesday, Senator Saliu Mustapha (Kwara Central) and Senator Tony Nwoye (Anambra North) urged the committee to grant the former NNPCL boss another opportunity to appear before it.
Other members of the panel opposed their position .
Senator Abdul Ningi (Bauchi Central) argued that any claim of ill health should be backed by documentary evidence rather than verbal explanations.
“There must be documented proof of his illness. Verbal excuses should not be enough,” Ningi said.
Senator Victor Umeh (Anambra Central) moved a motion for the issuance of a warrant of arrest against Kyari.
Seconding the motion, the committee’s Deputy Chairman, Senator Peter Nwaebonyi (Ebonyi North), said the panel could no longer continue a fruitless chase.
“This is the ninth time this committee is meeting on the 19 audit queries raised against NNPCL. I have personally chaired three of such sessions.
“Mr Chairman, the time to issue a warrant of arrest against Mele Kyari is now. The committee must conclude its assignment and report back to the Senate,” Nwaebonyi said.
The chair of the committee, Senator Ibrahim Dankwabo (Gombe North), ruled in favour of the motion.
“Anywhere Mele Kyari is, he should be arrested and brought before this committee,” the chairman declared.
Testifyimg before the panel, former CFO Umar Ajiya Isa strongly rejected suggestions that N210 trillion was unaccounted for during his tenure.
The figure being cited far exceeded the total revenue generated by the company during the period under review.
“To be clear, if money had gone missing at NNPC during our tenure, we would not have had the courage to publish audited accounts,” he said.
“For over 40 years, those accounts were either not prepared, not made public, or not even submitted to the Auditor-General. We changed that.”
He explained that NNPCL generated approximately N54.5 trillion in revenue between 2017 and 2023, making claims of a missing N210 trillion untenable.
“₦210 trillion is an enormous amount. NNPC’s total revenue during the period under review was about ₦54.5 trillion even before production costs were deducted. It is therefore impossible for ₦210 trillion to be missing or unaccounted for,” he said.
He also faulted allegations that N5.8 billion was spent on the registration of NNPC Limited, describing the claim as false and damaging.
He urged the committee to verify the matter with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) and the Federal Inland Revenue Service, now known as the Nigeria Revenue Service.
He warned that inaccurate allegations against the company could have serious consequences for Nigeria’s international reputation and creditworthiness.
“Unfounded claims do real damage. They affect the reputation of individuals, the company and Nigeria itself. International rating agencies rely on publicly available information when assessing countries,” he said.
Ajiya, who recalled a previous experience, said a petition submitted to Chinese authorities had disrupted plans to secure about $2.5 billion in financing for the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) Gas Pipeline project despite a sovereign guarantee from the Federal Government.
He added:”Actions like that discourage public servants. Yet we remain committed to serving our country and contributing to its development.”
He challenged those making allegations of missing funds to provide evidence to justifying their claims
“When people say ₦210 trillion is missing, they should be asked where exactly the money went. Agencies such as the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) should investigate and establish the facts so Nigerians can trust the truth,” he said.
