Following allegations of revenue leakages totaling N32,151,775,466.87 accrued to the coffers of the Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) on behalf of the Federal Government between 2015 and 2022, the House of Representatives has issued a 96-hour ultimatum to the Chief Executive Officer of the commission, Engineer Gbenga Komolafe to appear before them.
Chairman of the House Committee on Public Accounts, Hon. Bamidele Salam, during the investigative hearing on Thursday, expressed grave concerns regarding reported revenue leakages and non-compliance with standard operating procedures.
During the review of the documents submitted to the Committee, the lawmakers alleged that the sum of N909,392,169.74 had been transferred directly to private accounts held with Deposit Money Banks without adhering to TSA protocols.
Similarly, the investigation highlighted significant discrepancies, including N15,476,269,397.10 in transactions listed in Remita that were absent from the NUPRC data set, as well as the sum of N6,332,212,384.25 in transactions from the NUPRC data set that did not appear in Remita.
Also, there were notable value discrepancies in transactions between Remita and NUPRC, with N388,103,353.31 reported lower and N909,392,169.74 reported higher in Remita.
In light of these findings, the committee unanimously ordered the NUPRC Chief Executive Officer, along with other officials, to appear before them on Monday, October 28, 2024, to explain the alleged infractions.
Some lawmakers who spoke during the session underscored the need to ensure effective financial management and transparency within the NUPRC and called for a thorough investigation into these alarming irregularities.
