The Senate Committee on Public Accounts has criticized the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), the Nigeria Police Force, and 12 other government agencies for consistently failing to respond to audit queries from the 2019 Audit Report.
Chairman Senator Ahmed Wadada Aliyu (SDP Nasarawa West) expressed the committee’s frustration, noting that the heads of these agencies have repeatedly ignored invitations to address the queries.
Senator Wadada warned that any agency that continues to disregard these invitations will have its queries sustained and reported to the Senate Plenary. He emphasized that the refusal of these agencies to engage with the audit process undermines the goals of President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
The other agencies involved include the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, the Nigeria Mining Cadastre Office, and the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, among others.
The committee commenced its review of the Audit Report in October 2023, intending to present its findings to the Senate. However, the refusal of some agencies to cooperate has hindered this process. Senator Wadada stressed that moving forward, the committee would adopt a more stringent approach by upholding the audit findings if the agencies fail to defend themselves.
He concluded by reaffirming the committee’s commitment to supporting President Tinubu’s administration but warned that progress would be impossible without full cooperation from all involved parties.