The Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA Resource Centre) has called for full transparency and public accountability in the Senate’s ongoing investigation into audit queries involving Seplat Energy, Network E&P Nigeria, All Grace Energy and Aradel Energy.
In a statement on Sunday by HEDA’s Chairman, Olanrewaju Suraju, the civil society organisation maintained that the call followed the decision of the Senate Public Accounts Committee to issue a 48-hour ultimatum to the companies to appear before the committee after they failed to attend an investigative hearing on audit queries contained in the 2021, 2022 and 2023 reports of the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI).
According to it, the Senate’s investigation underscores the importance of effective oversight and transparent management of Nigeria’s natural resources, particularly in the extractive sector, where unresolved financial obligations can have significant implications for public revenue.
“These companies should be given the opportunity to respond fully to the audit queries and present relevant documentation, while insisting that any established financial obligations to the government must be recovered and accounted for transparently.
“Public resources belong to Nigerians, and every company operating in the extractive sector has a responsibility to comply with the laws governing the payment of royalties, taxes and other statutory obligations. Where audit queries raise questions about payments due to the government, these issues must be investigated openly and resolved based on verifiable evidence,” it stated.
Similarly, HEDA also urged the Senate Public Accounts Committee to conduct the investigation transparently and publish its findings and recommendations, including details of any outstanding liabilities established against the affected companies.
The group noted that the appearance of Dubri Oil Company before the committee and its submission of documents disputing the reported $3.25 million royalty and gas-flare debt demonstrates the importance of allowing all parties to present evidence and reconcile disputed figures before conclusions are reached.
HEDA therefore called on the Senate, NEITI, the Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) and other relevant agencies to ensure that the investigation leads to concrete outcomes rather than becoming another unresolved audit matter.
The organisation further urged the affected companies to cooperate fully with the Senate investigation and provide all information required to clarify the audit queries.
“Nigerians deserve to know whether revenues arising from the country’s oil and gas resources have been properly assessed, collected and accounted for, and legislative oversight must ultimately translate into the protection of public revenue and stronger accountability in the extractive sector,” It added.
