Eng. Gbenga Komolafe
By Victory Oghene
The House of Representatives on Thursday issued 96-hour ultimatum to the Chief Executive Officer of Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), Engineer Gbenga Komolafe over allegation bothering on revenue leakages worth N32,151,775,466.87 accrued into the coffers of the Commission on behalf of Federal Government between 2015 to 2022.
Speaking during the investigative hearing, Chairman, House Committee on Public Accounts, Hon. Bamidele Salam expressed grave concerns regarding reported revenue leakages and non-compliance with standard operating procedures.
During the security 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 domiciled with Deposit Money Banks without adhering to TSA protocols.
The investigation also 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.
Additionally, 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 Engr. Gbenga Komolafe, the Chief Executive Officer of NUPRC, along with other officials, to appear before them next Monday, 28th October, 2024 to explain the alleged infractions.
Some of the lawmakers who spoke during the session underscored the need to ensure effective financial management and transparency within the NUPRC, hence called for a thorough investigation into these alarming irregularities.
