The Senate Committee on Public Accounts has threatened to issue a warrant of arrest for Bayo Ojulari, the Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), after his fourth consecutive absence from a scheduled hearing.
Gatekeepers News reports that Ojulari was expected to appear before the committee on Tuesday to respond to audit queries concerning a N210 trillion allegedly unaccounted for between 2017 and 2023.
However, during the session, the committee’s clerk, Mohammed Abdullahi, read a letter from Ojulari explaining his absence. Dated July 22, 2025, the letter claimed Ojulari could not attend due to an emergency summons from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu around 1:00 pm.
The company’s Chief Financial Officer, Dapo Segun, stood in for Ojulari and relayed the message to lawmakers, a move that was met with strong disapproval from committee members.
Senator Aliyu Wadada, chairman of the committee and representative of Nasarawa West, said this marked the fourth time Ojulari had failed to honour their invitation, with the latest request sent out the previous Thursday. Wadada insisted that the GCEO must appear on Wednesday by 3:00 pm, or face arrest.
Senator Victor Umeh (Anambra Central) acknowledged the gravity of a presidential summons but criticised its use as a repeated excuse.
He said, “ Using President Tinubu as an excuse for failing to appear before the committee should not be allowed to continue.”
Senator Joel Onowakpo (Delta South) described Ojulari’s actions as contemptuous.
He said, “ To me, the NNPCL boss thinks that he is bigger than this committee, and we don’t need a soothsayer to tell us that he will never honour our invitation unless we invoke our powers to compel him.”
Senator Aminu Abbas (Adamawa Central) echoed the sentiment, labeling Ojulari’s behaviour as disrespectful.
He said, “No GCEO is bigger than the national assembly. For failing to honour four separate invitations, he should be ordered to appear tomorrow (Wednesday) without fail.”
Wadada concluded the session with a firm warning saying, “ This committee will not tolerate further excuses. Ojulari must appear, or we will issue a warrant of arrest against him.”
