The Public Accounts Committee of the House of Representatives will on Monday and Tuesday question officials of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited and the Independent National Electoral Commission over alleged financial breaches totalling more than N802.19bn.
The allegations are contained in reports of the Auditor-General for the Federation covering the 2021, 2022, and 2023 financial years, which raised queries over procurement procedures, revenue management, payments, and compliance with financial regulations by government agencies.
The committee, chaired by the member representing the Ede North/Ede South/Ejigbo/Egbedore Federal Constituency of Osun State, Bamidele Salam, is empowered under Sections 85, 88, and 89 of the 1999 Constitution, as amended, as well as Order 20, Rule 6 of the House Rules, to examine public accounts and investigate issues relating to revenue losses, non-remittance of statutory funds, and breaches of financial regulations.
Speaking exclusively with The PUNCH, a member of the committee, who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak on its behalf, said the Auditor-General’s reports had raised questions against the NNPCL in its 2021, 2022, and 2023 audits.
He said INEC would also be required to provide explanations on issues raised in the Auditor-General’s 2022 and 2023 reports.
He said, “On Tuesday at the National Assembly Complex, the House of Representatives Public Accounts Committee will be questioning several agencies.
“As a matter of fact, we are starting on Monday, October 5, with some agencies including the Code of Conduct Tribunal, Federal Capital Territory Judicial Service Commission, Federal Colleges of Education, Okene and Gombe, and the University Teaching Hospital, Ilorin. There are others I have not mentioned.
“Tuesday is special because we hope to have in the House the accounting officers and subject matter experts from the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited and the Independent National Electoral Commission.
“For the NNPC L, I am aware that the Auditor General’s Report of 2021 raised alleged financial infractions of about N514bn, while in the case of INEC, we shall be looking at clarifications on alleged financial breaches of about N288.19bn as contained in the 2022 Auditor General for the Federation audit query.”
According to findings by our correspondent, the N514bn queried against the NNPCL includes alleged irregular deductions of N343.64bn from domestic crude oil sales.
The Auditor-General’s report also reportedly flagged N83.66bn allegedly warehoused from miscellaneous revenue in a sinking fund account, as well as N82.95bn in alleged unauthorized deductions from Federation revenue.
A further N3.75bn was reportedly flagged as a shortfall arising from the sale of petroleum products.
