The Senate, through its Committee on Public Accounts, has expressed its displeasure with the management of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), the Nigeria Police Force, and 12 other agencies for their persistent refusal to respond to queries raised against them in the 2019 Audit report.
Agencies Involved
The agencies that have failed to honor the committee’s invitations to defend the queries against them include:
- NNPCL
- FIRS
- Nigeria Police Force
- Office of the Accountant General of the Federation
- Nigeria Mining Cadastre Office
- Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (former DPR)
- Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade & Investment
- FCT Internal Revenue Service
- Nigeria Immigration Service
- Federal Ministry of Women’s Affairs
- Ministry of Defence
- Nigeria Communications Satellite Limited
Committee’s Stance
The committee’s chairman, Senator Ahmed Wadada Aliyu (SDP Nasarawa West), expressed the committee’s anger, stating that any agency that refuses to honor the invitation to defend its queries will have its queries sustained and reported to the Senate Plenary by the committee.
He added that the attitude of the affected public agencies on persistent refusal to respond to queries against them in the audit report was frustrating and detrimental to the aspirations and goals of the President Bola Tinubu-led federal government.
Consequences for Non-Compliance
The committee has resolved that going forward if any MDA fails to honor invitations to respond and present its defense, the committee will adopt the position of the Auditor.
Additionally, the committee will add this resolution to its rules of engagement if MDAs fail to improve their attendance to the committee’s invitations.
Impact on the Administration’s Goals
Senator Aliyu stated that the committee is not in doubt of the commitment of the present administration under the stewardship of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to make Nigeria better, but with the attitude of the aforementioned Chief Executives, that will not be achievable unless and until they do the needful