Audit Report : How President Tinubu’s Invitation prevented Ojulari from appearing before Senate …as Senators fume , insists on his appearance Wednesday

By Iyojo Ameh

The Group Chief Executive Officer ( GCEO) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company ( NNPCL), Engineer Bayo Ojulari failed to appear before the Senate Committee on Public Accounts on Tuesday due to sudden Presidential Invitation said the Chief Financial Officer ( CFO) Dapo Segun of the National Oil Company.

Non appearance of the NNPCL’s GCEO for the fourth time before the committee investigating queries raised against the National Oil Company in the audit reports of 2017 to 2023, angered the entire members of the Committee which made them resolved that Engineer Ojulari must appear before them unfailingly on Wednesday this week by 3:00pm prompt .

The Committee Chaired by Senator Aliyu Wadada Ahmed ( Nasarawa West), had after three earlier invitations sent to Ojulari to appear before it for explanation on N210trillion unaccounted from 2017 to 2023 , extended the fourth invitation to him penultimate Thursday .

But at its sitting on Tuesday , when the Committee’s Chairman, asked the Clerk, Mohammed Sani Abdullahi , whether NNPCL ‘s GCEO was around , the Clerk responded that he sent a letter for explanation on his absence .

Ojulari as contained in the letter dated 22nd July 2025 and read by the committee’s clerk , said urgent invitation he got from President Bola Tinubu at about 1:00pm , prevented him from honouring the committee’s invitation .

However, being the fourth time , the NNPCL’s GCEO , failed to appear before them , members of the committee one after the other in their separate comments , expressed reservations on genuineness or sincerity of reason given by Ojulari .

Specifically , Senator Victor Umeh ( Anambra Central) in his remarks said though intervention of Presidential call , reduces his anger against the NNPCL boss but using Tinubu as an excuse for failing to appear before the committee , should not be allowed to continue .

Senator Joel Thomas Onowakpo ( Delta South) , in his comment, accused Ojulari of not taking invitation of the committee as a priority .

” To me , the NNPCL boss thinks that he is bigger than this committee and will don’t need a soothsayer to tell us that he will never honour our invitation except we invoke our powers to compel him “, he said .

Similarly, Senator Aminu Abbas ( Adamawa Central) , said Ojulari is disrespectful to the committee , forgetting that no GCEO is bigger than the National Assembly .

” For failing to honour invitations of this committee four different times , he should be ordered to appear before it tomorrow ( Wednesday ) unfailingly”, he said .

Accordingly, the Committee as declared by its Chairman , resolved that Ojulari should appear before it on Wednesday this week by 3:00pm prompt or risk issuance of warrant of arrest against him .