The Senate Public Accounts Committee has given the external auditors of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.) one week to provide documents explaining over N210 trillion recorded as receivables and payables in the company’s audited financial statements.

At a hearing on Wednesday, the committee directed the auditors to submit detailed schedules and audit working papers supporting about N107 trillion listed as receivables and N103 trillion recorded as payables.

The auditors had requested two weeks to retrieve the documents, saying the schedules formed part of their audit working papers. However, the committee rejected the request.

Committee chairman, Senator Ibrahim Dankwambo, questioned why auditors who had certified the accounts needed more time to produce documents backing the figures.

Senator Abdul Ningi cited the Constitution, saying the National Assembly had the power to compel any individual or organisation to produce documents relevant to its investigations.

Senator Patrick Ndubueze also questioned the credibility of the audit, saying failure to provide supporting schedules would raise doubts about whether the audit was properly conducted.

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