Senate Summons Kyari Over ₦210 Trillion NNPCL Financial Discrepancies

By George Omagbemi Sylvester

The Senate Committee on Public Accounts has summoned former Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Mele Kyari, along with ex‑Chief Financial Officer Umar Ajia Isa and former Group General Manager of National Petroleum Investment Management Services (NAPIMS), Dr. Bala Wunti, to explain alleged ₦210 trillion financial discrepancies in the company’s audited accounts covering 2017 to 2023.

The summons was issued on 5 March 2026 in Abuja, following a press briefing by Senator Aliyu Wadada, chairman of the oversight committee, after months of audit review and queries raised by lawmakers about unexplained figures in NNPCL’s books.

The panel’s investigation, launched in May 2025 amid concerns from the Office of the Auditor‑General for the Federation’s reports, uncovered two major unexplained items (₦103 trillion in accrued expenses and ₦107 trillion in sundry receivables) which together form the core of the ₦210 trillion sum said not to have been clearly accounted for in the company’s financial statements.

The lawmakers also questioned a reported ₦5 billion cost incurred during the transition from NNPC to NNPCL, and warned that failure to honour the summons could prompt warrants of arrest for the former officials.

The committee has directed that the former and current NNPCL leadership appear before it to provide detailed explanations, while also recommending a forensic audit of the company’s financial reports to strengthen transparency and accountability in the management of public funds.