The Senate Committee on Public Accounts has again threatened to issue an arrest warrant for the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL, Engr Bayo Ojulari, if he fails to appear before it on May 13, 2026, over ₦210 trillion yet to be accounted for in the agency’s audit reports from 2017 to 2023.
This came as the immediate past Chief Finance Officer of NNPCL, Umar Ajia, appeared before the committee on Wednesday and was handed copies of the audit reports containing queries on the unaccounted ₦210 trillion after being put on oath.
Although the immediate past GCEO, Mele Kyari, and former Chief Upstream Investment Officer, Bala Wunti, did not attend the session physically, both reached out to the committee by phone to confirm their readiness to appear.
Committee Chairman, Senator Ahmad Wadada disclosed that Kyari called him before the session, while Senator Abdul Ningi, Bauchi Central, said Wunti assured him he would be present at the committee’s next sitting.
Earlier at the commencement of the session, the Chairman frowned at a letter from current GCEO Bayo Ojulari explaining his absence.
He told Chief Relations Officer Morenike Adewumi, who signed the letter dated April 29, 2026 — the same day as the session — that if Ojulari fails to appear on May 13 by 3:00 pm, an arrest warrant will be issued.
“Ojulari must appear before this committee at the next session, failure which will lead to his being brought before us by force,” he said.
Expressing displeasure over Ojulari’s repeated absence, Senator Adams Oshiomhole, Edo North, said it was “totally disrespectful” for the NNPCL GCEO to send a letter signed by a subordinate to explain his absence.
“What cannot be explained must be deemed to have been stolen. It is totally disrespectful for the NNPCL GCEO to send a letter signed by his subordinate to this committee for explanation on wilful absence,” Oshiomhole said.
“He needs to be put to where he belongs because if there is no Nigeria, there can be no NNPCL, let alone its GCEO,” he added.
The committee subsequently directed the Chief Relations Officer, Morenike Adewumi, and Financial Controller, Tajudeen Kareem, to inform Ojulari of the need to appear unfailingly on May 13.
It also instructed the two officials to make copies of NNPCL’s audit reports available to Kyari and Wunti before the next session.