Rivers senator faults NNPCL over repeated absence from crude theft probe

Senator Allwell Onyesoh, Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on Petroleum Resources (Upstream), has strongly criticized the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) for its persistent failure to honor invitations from the National Assembly. Onyesoh described this repeated absence as a significant impediment to legislative oversight and the ongoing efforts to combat crude oil theft in Nigeria.

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We are not contractors. We are simply asking questions. Give us facts. Give us records. We want to study them. That is our constitutional responsibility.

The Rivers East senator voiced his frustration after staging a walkout from a committee meeting investigating crude oil theft and considering amendments to petroleum laws. He characterized the NNPCL's non-appearance as a disregard for democratic institutions and a blow to transparency. Onyesoh stressed that the committee's role is to seek facts, records, and explanations, which is a constitutional responsibility.

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They keep writing letters saying they are travelling to Congo, travelling here and there, just to dodge simple things. Was the GCEO appointed to keep travelling or to work?

Onyesoh dismissed the NNPCL's recurring explanation that its officials are unavailable due to overseas engagements. He questioned the necessity of simultaneous travel by the Group Chief Executive Officer, his deputy, and other directors, asking if their appointments were solely for international travel rather than addressing Nigeria's pressing issues. He argued that such widespread travel is unacceptable and deepens public suspicion about the corporation's willingness to be scrutinized.

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Is Nigeria’s problem outside the country or here in Nigeria? How is it possible that the GCEO, his deputy, directors and the entire management are all travelling at the same time? That is not acceptable.

The senator insisted that no public institution is exempt from legislative oversight and rejected the notion that the NNPCL answers only to the Presidency. He urged public institutions to obey the laws of the land and appear when summoned by the nation's highest law-making body.

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If you are serving the people of Nigeria, first and foremost, you must obey the laws of the land. The highest law-making body in the country invites you, and consistently, you are too big to appear. Who told you that?