Business

House Public Accounts Committee Recovers Additional $14 Million from Oil Companies

Published

2 years ago

March 30, 2025

550 Views

The House of Representatives Public Accounts Committee (PAC) said on Saturday that it has successfully recovered an additional $14.2 million (N21.4 billion) from four oil and gas companies as part of its ongoing investigation into financial discrepancies in the sector.

This latest recovery follows an earlier announcement on March 16, 2025, of recoveries amounting to ₦28.7 billion ($19.24 million), bringing the total recovered so far to $33.44 million (₦50.1 billion).

In a statement by Akin Rotimi Jr, House Spokesperson, the breakdown of the latest recoveries is as follows:
✓ Platform Petroleum Ltd: $1.9 million (N2.9 billion)
✓Midwestern Oil and Gas Ltd: $1.578 million (N2.3 billion)
✓Universal Energy: $523,845 (N785.7 million)
✓Aradel Energy Ltd: $10.3 million (N15.5 billion)

Speaking on the recoveries, the Chairman of the Committee, Rep. Bamidele Salam, credited the successes recorded to the unwavering support and leadership of the Speaker of the House, Rt. Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, PhD., GCON.

He noted that the Speaker’s firm commitment to legislative oversight and accountability has ensured that committees operate effectively, free from undue interference, and with a clear mandate to safeguard public resources.

“Under the leadership of Speaker Abbas, the House of Representatives has reinforced its commitment to fiscal transparency and good governance.

The independence granted to committees like ours has enabled us to carry out our mandate diligently, ensuring that public funds are properly accounted for.

This approach has been instrumental in our ability to recover these substantial sums, and we remain steadfast in our mission to strengthen financial accountability in Nigeria,” Rep. Salam stated.

In addition to the recovered funds, the Committee has issued a 20-day ultimatum for four companies to remit a total of $23.2 million (N34.8 billion).

Failure to comply within the stipulated timeframe will result in the enforcement of appropriate sanctions, including the public naming of defaulters in national newspapers.

The companies and their required payments are as follows:

Total Energies: $2 million within 7 days
Seplat Energies (SPDC): $6.036 million and N1.5 billion within 7 days
Aradel Energy Ltd: $12.1 million within 7 days
Network Exploration: $3.1 million within 7 days
Rep. Salam emphasised the Committee’s commitment to enforcing compliance, warning that companies that fail to meet their financial obligations will face the full weight of legislative oversight.
The Committee also expressed concern over several companies that have disregarded invitations to appear before it.
The following firms are now under heightened scrutiny and may face further actions if they continue to evade accountability:
Frontier Oil and Gas
Conoil Producing
Walter Smith Petrochemical
Bilton
Energia Ltd
Aiteo Petroleum Ltd
Pillar Oil Lt
Additionally, First E & P Oil Company has been directed to reconcile an outstanding balance of $90 million with the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) and is expected to appear before the Committee on April 16, 2025, to finalise the matter.
The actions of the Public Accounts Committee reflect the House of Representatives’ increasing resolve to ensure transparency, accountability, and financial discipline in the Nigerian oil and gas sector.
Ongoing investigations are expected to uncover more discrepancies, with the Committee continuing its public hearings on the 2021 Auditor General’s report, which indicated that over ₦10 trillion in payments remain outstanding to the Federation Account from industry operators.
“The era of impunity and financial recklessness in the oil and gas sector is coming to an end.
We are determined to recover every kobo owed to the Nigerian people and ensure that public funds are managed with the highest level of integrity,” Rep. Salam reaffirmed.

Business

Naira Rates To Dollar, Pound ,Euro… Friday, October 2

Published

1 day ago

October 2, 2026

OCHEFA

16 Views

BLACK MARKET RATES

₦1375DOLLAR (USD)

₦1845 POUND (GBP)

EURO (EUR) ₦1550

₦1000 CANADIAN DOLLAR (CAD)

₦70 SOUTH AFRICAN RAND (ZAR)

₦370 UAE DIRHAM

₦190 CHINESE YUAN (CNY)

₦100 GHANA CEDI (GHS)

₦2350 CFA F.(XOF)

₦2250 CFA F.(XAF)

₦850 AUSTRALIAN DOLLAR (AUSSIE)

Official CBN Exchange Rates

DOLLAR (USD)₦1329.16

POUND (GBP)₦1766.59

EURO (EUR) ₦1510.06

SWISS FRANC (CHF) ₦1593.91

JAPANESE YEN (JPN)₦8.47

CFA FRANC (XOF) ₦2.30

WEST AFRICAN UNIT OF ACCOUNT (WAUA) ₦1807.23

CHINESE YUAN (CNY) ₦198.25

SAUDI RIYAL (SAR) ₦353.97

SOUTH AFRICAN RAND (ZAR) ₦81.18

Business

Obasanjo: “Aliko Embarrass Me”

He got all his workers together in that refinery and said, without telling me, and there, said…

Published

2 days ago

October 1, 2026

OCHEFA

37 Views

Former President of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo, has described Aliko Dangote as his “boss”, crediting the businessman’s industrial achievements to the policies and encouragement provided by his administration.

Obasanjo said this while speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony of the Dangote East Africa Refinery in Lamu, Kenya, where he recalled his recent visit to the Dangote refinery and the businessman’s acknowledgement of the role he played in his transition from cement importation to production.

He said, “About two months ago, three months ago, I visited the refinery which you visited last week. And I just couldn’t stop being surprised what Aliko did. But then Aliko embarrassed me.”

According to Obasanjo, Dangote had gathered his workers during the visit and publicly attributed part of his success in cement production and the eventual development of his refinery to the policies and encouragement of the former president.

He said, “He got all his workers together in that refinery and said, without telling me, and there, said, all of you working here, all of you, the man you have to thank is this man, that’s me. I didn’t have anything to do with his refinery or what it is.

He said, without this man, I would not have been in cement production.“And it is the cement production that provided the encouragement, the inspiration for the refinery. So, thank you. They all shouted and thanked me.”

Obasanjo said Dangote had expanded the opportunities created by his administration beyond Nigeria, particularly through cement production across Africa, and was now replicating the model in the petroleum refining sector.

“May God continue to expand your coast. And you are my boss. You will continue to be my boss.”

Business

Minister Tasks Charcoal Merchants on Sustainable Forestry

The minister gave the charge at the flag-off of the 2026 Operation One Million Trees Tree Planting Programme organised by the Association for Forest Conservation and Green Industrial Charcoal Merchants at the Faculty of Renewable Natural Resources, University of Ibadan.

Published

2 days ago

October 1, 2026

OCHEFA

38 Views

•Charcoal merchants and other stakeholders in the forestry sector

The Minister of Environment, Balarabe Abass Lawal, has charged charcoal merchants and other stakeholders in the forestry sector to embrace sustainable practices and support the federal government’s efforts to reverse deforestation and restore Nigeria’s degraded forest landscapes.

The programme, which brought together forestry practitioners, charcoal merchants, environmentalists, students, regulators and other stakeholders, is aimed at promoting afforestation and encouraging responsible management of Nigeria’s forest resources.

Speaking at the event, the minister described tree planting as one of the most practical measures for combating climate change, reversing deforestation, restoring biodiversity, controlling desertification and strengthening the resilience of the nation’s ecosystems.

The Chairman of the Association for Forest Conservation and Green Industrial Charcoal Merchants, Mr Adeshola Adebowale Idowu, emphasised that the event carried a clear message for everyone involved in the charcoal business and, indeed, every Nigerian.

Idowu said stakeholders should develop the habit of replacing trees removed from the environment, encouraging Nigerians to plant trees around their homes and communities.

He advocated a practice of planting several trees for every tree cut down, stressing that trees remain indispensable to human existence because many products used by society are derived from them

( THISDAY)