The Senate, through its Committee on Public Accounts, on Wednesday, ordered the arrest of the immediate-past Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Engr. Mele Kyari, for failing to appear before it over an alleged unaccounted sum of N210 trillion of the state oil company between 2017 and 2023.
However, the former Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of the NNPCL, Umar Ajiya Isa, challenged the allegation, insisting that no money was missing and that the N210 trillion being peddled as unaccounted for was far above the company’s total revenue of about N54.5 trillion during the period under review.
The warrant for Kyari’s arrest followed his absence from the committee’s investigative session on the alleged NNPCL unaccounted funds.
Senators Saliu Mustapha (Kwara Central) and Tony Nwoye (Anambra North), both members of the committee, separately informed the chairman, Senator Ibrahim Dankwambo (Gombe North), and other members that Kyari should be given another opportunity to appear before the panel, explaining that he was reportedly receiving medical treatment in Germany.
However, several members of the committee opposed the suggestion and urged the chairman to issue a warrant for his arrest.
Senator Abdul Ningi (Bauchi Central), while opposing another opportunity for voluntary appearance, argued that a verbal explanation should not be accepted without documented evidence of illness. He was followed by Senator Victor Umeh (Anambra Central), who moved a motion for the issuance of a warrant of arrest against Kyari.
Seconding the motion, the deputy chairman of the committee, Senator Peter Nwaebonyi (Ebonyi North), said granting Kyari another chance would amount to a “wild goose chase.”
“This is the ninth time this committee is meeting on the 19 queries raised against the NNPCL by the Office of the Auditor-General for the Federation. Three of those meetings were chaired by me.
“Mr Chairman, the time to issue a warrant of arrest against Mele Kyari is now because the committee must conclude its assignment and report back to the Senate,” he said.
Following a voice vote by members, the committee chairman directed that Kyari be brought before the panel.
“Wherever Mele Kyari is, he should be arrested and brought before this committee,” Dankwambo declared.
Meanwhile, Ajiya dismissed claims that N210 trillion was missing from the oil company’s accounts, arguing that such an allegation was inconsistent with the NNPCL’s audited financial records.
“To be clear, if money had gone missing at NNPC during our tenure, we would not have had the courage to publish audited accounts. For over 40 years, those accounts were either not prepared, not made public, or not even shared with the Auditor-General,” he said.
“₦210 trillion is an enormous sum. NNPC’s total revenue in the period under review was about ₦54.5 trillion, even before deducting production costs. It is impossible for ₦210 trillion to be missing or unaccounted for.”
Ajiya also refuted claims that N5.8 billion was spent on the registration of NNPC Limited, describing the allegation as false and damaging.
He urged the committee to verify the claim with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) and the Federal Inland Revenue Service, now known as the Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS).
“Unfounded claims do real damage. They harm the reputations of individuals, the company and Nigeria itself. International rating agencies use public information to assess countries. Negative and inaccurate reports can hurt Nigeria’s credit rating and national interests,” he said.
He recalled that while Nigeria was seeking about $2.5 billion in Chinese financing for the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano Gas Pipeline project, what he described as an “unpatriotic petition” was submitted to Chinese authorities, affecting the financing arrangement.
“Despite a sovereign guarantee, the financing was disrupted and the project remains uncompleted.
“Actions like that discourage public servants. At times, it is frustrating. But as Nigerians, we remain committed to serving our country and contributing to its development.
“When people claim ₦210 trillion is missing, they should be asked: where exactly did it go? Agencies like the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit and the EFCC should investigate and establish the facts so Nigerians can trust the truth,” he added.
The committee subsequently directed Ajiya and Bala Wunti, who served as Chief Upstream Investment Officer during the period under review, to reappear before it in two weeks as investigations continued.
