The Senate Committee on Public Accounts has rejected the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority’s (NMDPRA) records of petrol imports for 2022 and 2023, citing significant inconsistencies with figures submitted by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL).

The committee has consequently resolved to summon the heads of NMDPRA, NNPCL and the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) to explain the discrepancies, warning that the inconsistencies could point to possible fraud.

The decision followed a legislative hearing on queries raised in NEITI’s Oil and Gas Industry Audit Report covering 2021 to 2023.

At the hearing, NMDPRA Authority Chief Executive, Mallam Rabiu Abdullahi Umar, represented by Deputy Director Uzoamaka Ugwu-Ojobe, defended the agency’s records despite the conflicting figures.

Ugwu-Ojobe said the authority recorded 3.29 billion litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) imports in 2022 and 6.02 billion litres in 2023, while NNPCL reported 6.27 billion litres and 3.88 billion litres for the respective years.

She maintained that the figures were credible and said efforts were underway to reconcile the differences, which she described as slight.

However, the explanation was rejected by lawmakers, who argued that the gaps were too substantial to be dismissed as minor discrepancies.

Senator Abdul Ningi, representing Bauchi Central, said the differences raised serious concerns about the accuracy of the records and the level of accountability in the petroleum sector. He argued that the inconsistencies could indicate systemic inflation or weaknesses in record-keeping.

Similarly, Senator Dayo Faduyile, representing Ondo South, said the sharp variations in the figures suggested that something might be wrong, while Senator Anietan Bassey of Akwa Ibom North East called for a comprehensive investigation to safeguard public funds.

Ruling on the matter, committee chairman, Senator Hassan Dankwambo, representing Gombe North, declared the NMDPRA representative’s submission unacceptable and directed that the heads of the three agencies appear before the panel to account for the discrepancies.

The date for the joint hearing is expected to be announced in the coming days.