The House of Representatives Public Accounts Committee has begun investigating outstanding debts owed to the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA) by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and oil marketers.
According to a report by Channels Television, the investigation follows findings in the Auditor-General’s annual audit reports concerning unpaid regulatory and petroleum-related obligations.
The Auditor-General’s 2023 Annual Audit Report put the combined indebtedness at more than ₦392 billion. NNPCL accounted for over ₦162 billion, while oil companies under the Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPPMAN), Major Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN) and Major Energy Marketers Association of Nigeria (MEMAN) owed about ₦230 billion.
The debts relate to obligations including Balancing Allowance, National Transport Average, the 1% Midstream and Downstream Gas Infrastructure Fund, as well as legacy debts linked to imports, coastal transactions and credit transactions.
The Auditor-General’s 2024 report subsequently indicated that the outstanding debt had risen to ₦432 billion, excluding NNPCL’s indebtedness.
Further submissions by the NMDPRA to the committee showed that 146 oil companies operating under DAPPMAN, MEMAN and MOMAN owed the authority ₦327 billion as of 2025.
The committee said the outstanding obligations cover the period from 2017 to 2023 and have largely remained unpaid.
PAC Chairman, Representative Bamidele Salam, said the committee would examine the records behind the debts, including the amounts owed, payments made, outstanding balances and steps taken by regulators to recover the money.
He also warned summoned companies and institutions to respond to parliamentary invitations and provide the necessary documents.
Salam said the investigation was not intended to witch-hunt anyone but to establish the facts, protect public revenue and ensure that money owed to government is properly accounted for.
The committee said the probe forms part of its constitutional oversight responsibility and is intended to strengthen accountability and improve the recovery of outstanding government revenue.
