The Senate Committee on Public Accounts has summoned the heads of the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) over significant discrepancies in petrol import figures for 2022 and 2023.
The committee, chaired by Senator Ahmed Wadada Dankwambo, took the decision on Wednesday after rejecting import data submitted by the NMDPRA, which differed substantially from figures reported by the NNPCL.
The disagreement emerged during the committee’s review of the NEITI Oil and Gas Industry Audit Report covering 2021 to 2023, which raised questions about the accuracy of the agencies’ records.
At the hearing, the NMDPRA’s Authority Chief Executive, Mallam Rabiu Abdullahi Umar, was represented by Deputy Director Uzoamaka Ugwu-Ojobe, who defended the regulator’s figures despite the discrepancies.
According to the NMDPRA’s presentation, Nigeria imported 3.29 billion litres of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), commonly known as petrol, in 2022 and 6.02 billion litres in 2023. The NNPCL, however, reported 6.27 billion litres for 2022 and 3.88 billion litres for 2023.
The figures reveal substantial differences between the agencies’ records for both years. They also present contrasting trends, as the NMDPRA’s data show imports rising between 2022 and 2023, while the NNPCL’s figures indicate a decline.
Ugwu-Ojobe said the differences were being examined for reconciliation. However, lawmakers rejected the suggestion that the discrepancies were minor, insisting that the scale of the variations required a detailed explanation.
Senator Abdul Ningi, representing Bauchi Central, said the differences could not be dismissed as slight inconsistencies and called for a thorough examination of the conflicting records.
Senator Dayo Faduyile, representing Ondo South, also questioned the reliability of the figures submitted by the agencies, while Senator Anietan Bassey, representing Akwa Ibom North-East, urged the committee to establish the facts behind the discrepancies.
Dankwambo said the heads of the three agencies would be required to explain the differences and provide the information needed to reconcile the figures.
The planned meeting is expected to clarify whether the discrepancies resulted from differences in reporting methods, data coverage or other factors. The committee had not established the reason for the conflicting figures at the time of the report.
The inquiry places renewed attention on the reliability of petroleum import data used to assess Nigeria’s downstream market. Accurate records are essential for monitoring fuel supply, evaluating import dependence and strengthening transparency across the petroleum value chain.
The discrepancies remain unresolved, and the committee’s decision to summon the agencies does not in itself establish wrongdoing.