Senate Demands Oil Firms Respond to NEITI Queries

The Senate Public Accounts Committee, chaired by Senator Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo, has mandated Seplat Energy and three other oil companies—Network E&P Nigeria Limited, All Grace Energy Limited, and Aradel Energy Limited—to appear within 48 hours to address queries from the 2021, 2022, and 2023 audit reports of the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI). This ultimatum was issued on Tuesday due to the companies' repeated noncompliance with previous invitations.

Senator Abdul Ningi expressed concerns over a letter from Network E&P, which claimed accountability to the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission instead of the Senate. He emphasized the National Assembly's constitutional authority to summon entities for explanations.

Senator Shehu Kaka Lawan supported calls for sanctions against the companies. The committee's chairman directed the Managing Director of Network E&P to appear before the committee, warning of legislative consequences for noncompliance.

Similar directives were issued to the other companies, highlighting the committee's scrutiny of oil and gas revenue management in Nigeria.