JUST IN: Mele Kyari appears before senate panel over N210trn NNPC audit queries

Mele Kyari, a former Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), on Tuesday has appeared before the senate committee on public accounts over alleged financial discrepancies running into over ₦210 trillion.

Kyari arrived at Hearing Room 4 of the National Assembly on Tuesday, accompanied by a delegation of officials from the oil company.

His appearance comes months after members of the Senate committee threatened to invoke their constitutional powers to compel him to attend its investigative proceedings over unresolved financial questions relating to the operations of the national oil company.

The Senate investigation centres on alleged financial discrepancies and outstanding audit queries in the accounts of the NNPCL covering the period between 2017 and 2023.

The issues were brought before the committee through audit reports forwarded by the Office of the Auditor-General for the Federation, which raised questions about several transactions recorded during the period under review.

Lawmakers had repeatedly sought explanations from Kyari and other officials of the company, insisting that the outstanding queries required answers from those who managed the corporation during the years being examined.