The Senate Public Accounts Committee has threatened to sanction the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) after the agencies failed to appear before it to defend audit queries relating to Nigeria’s oil and gas sector.
Gatekeepers News reports that their absence on Monday stalled the committee’s planned three-week investigative hearing into findings contained in NEITI’s audit reports covering the extractive industry between 2021 and 2023.
Chairman of the committee, Senator Ibrahim Dankwabo, directed the management of the four agencies to appear before the panel on Thursday, August 6, 2026, warning that failure to honour the fresh invitation would attract sanctions under the 1999 Constitution and the Senate Standing Orders.
Dankwabo said the committee would not tolerate what he described as a disregard for the authority of the Senate, stressing that the investigation would continue until all outstanding issues raised in the audit reports had been addressed.
The affected agencies had been invited to respond to observations contained in the NEITI audit reports as part of the Senate’s constitutional oversight of public finances and the extractive sector.
However, none of the agencies—including NEITI, which prepared the audit reports under review—was represented at the opening session.
The development drew strong criticism from members of the committee, who described the absence as a direct affront to the National Assembly.
Senator Babangida Hussaini, representing Jigawa North-West, urged the committee to invoke its constitutional powers against the defaulting agencies.
“I rely on the constitutional provisions, Sections 47 and 60 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), as well as the relevant provisions of our Standing Rules,” he said.
“The powers of this committee are derived from these provisions. It is a distraction to the institution of the National Assembly for any agency, by whatever name or designation, to refuse to appear and answer audit queries that have been validly raised.”
He added:
“I think this committee is being taken for granted, and by extension, Nigerians are being taken for granted.
“The institutional integrity of the Senate is being undermined. Mr. Chairman, drastic measures need to be taken in line with our rules.”
Senator Patrick Ndubueze, representing Imo North, also backed calls for sanctions, arguing that the agencies had shown little respect for the Senate by failing to notify the committee of their absence.
“Mr Chairman, this reflects the level of commitment of government agencies in this country. No letter was written. No excuse was offered. No representative was sent to appear before the committee to explain why the chief executives could not attend.
“To me, they don’t deserve to be given any second chance of appearance.”
Despite the criticism, Dankwabo said the committee would grant the agencies one final opportunity to appear before it on Thursday.
He warned that any further failure to honour the invitation would trigger sanctions in accordance with the Constitution and the Senate’s Standing Orders.
Meanwhile, the committee is scheduled to continue its investigative hearing on Tuesday with appearances by the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), and other relevant government agencies.
