The Senate Committee on Public Accounts has formally issued a summons to the Chief Executives of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), and the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) following severe inconsistencies in National Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) importation data for 2022 and 2023.
The directive was issued during a recent legislative hearing reviewing audit queries raised in the NEITI Oil and Gas Industry Audit Report (2021–2023).
The Committee firmly rejected the importation records presented by the NMDPRA, pointing out massive, unexplained disparities when cross-referenced with figures submitted by the NNPCL. According to data presented to the panel:
2022 PMS Importation Volume: NMDPRA reported 3.29 billion litres, whereas NNPCL recorded 6.27 billion litres.
2023 PMS Importation Volume: NMDPRA reported 6.02 billion litres, whereas NNPCL recorded 3.88 billion litres.
Despite attempts by NMDPRA representative Mrs. Uzoamaka Ugwu-Ojobe to describe the multi-billion-litre gaps as “slight disparities” currently undergoing internal reconciliation, committee members strongly condemned the defense.
Lawmakers expressed grave concerns over potential public fund mismanagement and systemic inflation.
Senator Abdul Ningi (Bauchi Central) emphasized that variance exceeding 50% points to critical accountability failures that cannot be dismissed lightly.
Senator Dayo Faduyile (Ondo South) noted that the volatile swing in numbers strongly suggests potential irregularities in reporting.
Senator Anietan Bassey (Akwa Ibom North East) urged a comprehensive investigation to ensure full transparency and protect public funds.
Delivering the panel’s official ruling, Committee Chairman Senator Hassan Dankwambo (Gombe North) rejected the regulator’s submissions and mandated a high-level tripartite appearance.
In view of the unacceptability of presentations made by the representative of NMDPRA on queries raised against it in the NEITI Oil and Gas Audit report, this committee resolved to summon the heads of NMDPRA, NNPCL and NEITI to explain the reasons behind these wide disparities.
Senator Dankwambo.
The Senate Committee on Public Accounts is expected to announce the official date for the mandatory tripartite hearing in the coming days.
