Senate Issues 48-Hour Ultimatum to Oil Firms

The Senate Public Accounts Committee has given Seplat Energy, Aradel Energy, and two other oil companies a 48-hour ultimatum to respond to queries from the 2021, 2022, and 2023 audit reports of the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative. The committee, chaired by Senator Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo, issued the directive following the companies' repeated failure to appear before the panel.

The affected operators include Network E&P Nigeria Limited, All Grace Energy Limited, Aradel Energy Limited, and Seplat Energy. The committee warned that it would invoke the full weight of its legislative powers if the executives fail to appear by Thursday.

Constitutional Powers and Defiance

The legislative action intensified after Senator Abdul Ningi criticized a letter from Network E&P Nigeria Limited, describing it as provocative. The company had asserted that it was accountable to the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission rather than the Senate committee.

Ningi countered this position by citing Sections 88 and 89 of the 1999 Constitution, which grant the National Assembly powers to summon any entity for investigative explanations. Senator Shehu Kaka Lawan of Borno Central supported the call for immediate sanctions against the non-compliant firms.

Dubri Oil Disputes Debt Claim

In a separate development during the proceedings, Dubri Oil Company Limited rejected a $3.025 million debt attributed to it in the NEITI audit. The NUPRC had reported in 2025 that the company owed $2.378 million in gas flare penalties and $646,605.55 in oil production-related debts.

Soyode Clement, representing Dubri Oil, stated that the query arose from a reconciliation issue that has since been resolved. He presented documentation to the committee, which the panel promised to review before deciding whether to clear the company of the liabilities.