The House of Representatives Public Accounts Committee has launched an investigation into outstanding regulatory debts totaling ₦432.07 billion owed to the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and various oil companies.
The probe stems from findings in the Auditor-General’s annual audit reports on unpaid petroleum-related obligations. The 2023 report put the combined debt of NNPCL and oil firms at ₦392.73 billion. Of that amount, NNPCL accounted for ₦162.46 billion, while companies under the Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPPMAN), Major Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN), and Major Energy Marketers Association of Nigeria (MEMAN) owed ₦230.27 billion.
The liabilities relate to Balancing Allowance, National Transport Average, the one per cent Midstream and Downstream Gas Infrastructure Fund, and legacy obligations from importation, coastal, and credit transactions. The Auditor-General’s 2024 report later put outstanding indebtedness at ₦432.07 billion, excluding NNPCL’s liabilities.
Submissions from the NMDPRA to the committee further showed that 146 oil companies under DAPPMAN, MEMAN, and MOMAN owed the authority ₦327.53 billion as of 2025. Some of the debts date back to 2017, prompting questions about the effectiveness of the regulator’s assessment, collection, and recovery processes.
In a statement, committee chairman Bamidele Salam said the investigation seeks to establish the facts behind the outstanding liabilities and ensure all government revenue due is accounted for and recovered. He warned summoned companies and institutions against failing to appear with proper representatives and relevant records.
“Any company invited by this committee must respect the people’s parliament of the Federal Republic of Nigeria by honouring the summons with appropriate representation and all relevant documents. We are not here to witch-hunt anybody; our responsibility is to establish the facts, protect public revenue and ensure that every naira due to government is properly accounted for,” Salam said.
The committee plans to examine how the debts were assessed, the periods covered, payments already made, remaining balances, and the recovery steps taken by the NMDPRA. It will also seek explanations for why the liabilities accumulated over years and whether enforcement measures were applied against defaulters.
The inquiry forms part of the National Assembly’s constitutional oversight role amid greater scrutiny of revenue generation, collection, and remittance in the petroleum sector after the Petroleum Industry Act.
The NMDPRA, created under the Act, regulates midstream and downstream operations, including product processing, transportation, distribution, and domestic gas activities.
Salam stressed that the probe is not targeted at any specific company or institution. The committee will require the affected entities and the regulator to provide documentation explaining how the debts arose, what has been recovered, and what remains unpaid.
It reaffirmed its commitment to using oversight powers to ensure public revenue is properly accounted for and that collection agencies take effective recovery action.
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