• Panel issues three-week ultimatum
• Reps summon Oyetola, NIWA boss over Baro Inland Port project
In what could be one of the most consequential oversight hearings in recent history, the Senate, yesterday, demanded from the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) full disclosure of the N210 trillion audit gap from 2017 to 2023.
The Senate Public Accounts Committee gave the Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of NNPCL, Bayo Ojulari, three weeks to respond to 18 critical questions drawn directly from the audit reports.
This was as the House of Representatives Ad hoc Committee on the Rehabilitation and Operationalisation of the Baro Inland Port summoned the Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, and the Managing Director of National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA), Bola Oyebamiji, over alleged anomalies surrounding the multi-billion naira project.
After weeks of delay, Ojulari finally appeared before the Senate Public Accounts Committee and began not with data, but with a plea for patience.
“I didn’t want to come here and mislead this committee or the Nigerian people,” Ojulari said, explaining that his initial silence was deliberate. “This isn’t just a job; it’s a national responsibility. I had to understand the full picture before speaking.”
Ojulari, who was appointed from the private sector into one of the most sensitive public roles, said he inherited a massive institution burdened with legacy challenges. His goal, he said, was not just to answer questions but to ensure the answers were accurate.
But the Senate wasn’t ready to cut him slack.
Committee Chairman, Ahmed Aliyu (PDP, Nasarawa West), said N107 trillion in receivables and N103 trillion in liabilities were drawn directly from NNPCL’s audited financial statements. While no accusations of theft have been made, Aliyu said the sums were too massive to go unexplained.
“Let’s be clear,” he said, “Nobody said N210 trillion was stolen or missing. But every kobo must be accounted for. These are your numbers, from your audited reports, not media speculation.”
Deputy Chairman of the Committee, Peter Nwebonyi (APC, Ebonyi North), added that NNPCL’s absence at earlier sittings, coupled with the non-appearance of the external auditors, had raised serious concerns.
“This is not a fishing expedition,” Nwebonyi stressed. “But we can’t accept incomplete answers. We need both NNPCL and its auditors in the room to make sense of this.”
Ojulari apologised for missing the earlier summons, a situation that nearly triggered a bench warrant. He told lawmakers the delays were not out of disregard, but out of caution.
With Ojulari now officially on record, and the Senate digging deeper, the spotlight on NNPCL’s books is only getting brighter.
Chairman of the House Committee, Saidu Abdullahi, issued the summons to Oyetola and Oyebamiji during a session in Abuja yesterday.
He directed NIWA to submit all relevant documents relating to the planning, construction, handover and state of the port, originally initiated to reduce pressure on the nation’s seaports and promote inland waterway transport.
The committee gave NIWA and the ministry seven days to produce contract papers, project scope, payment records, inspection reports, photographs, and any official document declaring the port operational.
“We need everything – full contract files, evaluation reports and evidence of execution. We are not here to witch-hunt anyone, but we must get to the bottom of this. The MD and the minister are summoned to appear. We want a full financial breakdown. Someone must take responsibility for what appears to be a scandal,” Abdullahi said.
He expressed strong concerns over the possibility of the project becoming another abandoned venture, despite the billions of naira already invested.
