ABUJA — Mounting public criticism has greeted the Senate leadership under Senate President Godswill Akpabio over what political observers and anti-corruption watchdogs describe as an unwillingness to decisively probe or enforce the physical appearance of former NNPCL Group Chief Executive Officer, Mele Kyari, regarding missing funds and audit queries running into trillions of naira.
The controversy deepened after the Senate leadership intervened to overturn a motion by its Public Accounts Committee recommending an arrest warrant for Kyari. The directive was quashed following procedural objections raised at plenary, which also led to a public retreat by Senator Adams Oshiomhole. Oshiomhole, who had previously demanded enforcement measures and openly criticized the national oil company’s management, ultimately walked back his stance during subsequent parliamentary proceedings.
Meanwhile, Kyari remains outside the country, citing an undisclosed medical condition as the reason for his inability to honour legislative invitations. Critics and National Assembly watchers point out that the Red Chamber has failed to request formal medical verification, clarify the nature of the ailment, or question why extended care must be sought abroad while critical questions on oil revenue management remain unanswered.
The perceived reluctance to compel accountability has fueled allegations among observers that the leadership of the National Assembly may have been compromised. Stakeholders continue to express concern over what they characterize as a record-breaking scale of unaddressed financial irregularities, subsidy abuses, and administrative waste during Kyari’s tenure at the helm of the NNPCL.
