The Senate Public Accounts Committee has issued a 48-hour ultimatum to Seplat Energy and three other oil companies to appear before it and respond to queries raised in the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) audit reports for 2021, 2022, and 2023.
The committee, chaired by Senator Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo, expressed concern over the repeated failure of the companies to honour its invitations. It warned that the firms risk facing the full weight of legislative powers if they fail to comply.
The affected companies are Seplat Energy, Network E&P Nigeria Limited, All Grace Energy Limited, and Aradel Energy Limited.
Tensions escalated after Senator Abdul Ningi described a letter from Network E&P Nigeria Limited as “provocative,” noting that the company claimed accountability only to the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) rather than the Senate.
Ningi stressed that Sections 88 and 89 of the 1999 Constitution empower the National Assembly to summon individuals, companies, and agencies for explanations.
Senator Shehu Kaka Lawan backed calls for sanctions, urging the committee to enforce its constitutional powers. Dankwambo subsequently directed the Managing Directors of the four companies to appear before the committee within 48 hours or face sanctions.
Meanwhile, Dubri Oil Company Limited appeared before the panel to dispute a $3.025 million debt listed in the NEITI report. The company’s representative, Soyode Clement, argued the figure stemmed from a reconciliation issue with NUPRC that has since been resolved.
He presented documents to support the claim, which the committee promised to review before making a final decision.
The proceedings are part of the Senate’s broader scrutiny of audit queries in the oil and gas sector, amid concerns over revenue leakages and companies’ failure to meet financial obligations to the government.
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