Senator Allwell Onyesoh, Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on Petroleum Resources (Upstream), has publicly criticized the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) for repeatedly failing to attend parliamentary hearings on crude oil theft.
The rebuke highlights growing legislative frustration with the state-owned energy giant’s engagement in efforts to curb illegal bunkering, a persistent drain on national revenue and a source of operational instability for the sector.
The criticism comes as Nigeria’s House of Representatives Special Committee on Crude Oil Theft has formally called for the establishment of a dedicated special court to expedite the prosecution of individuals involved in crude oil theft and other economic sabotage.
Lawmakers argue that weak laws and slow judicial processes have emboldened syndicates, leading to continued pipeline vandalism and significant losses for the national economy.
For investors, the political friction underscores the governance risks facing NNPCL and the broader Nigerian energy sector.
Persistent crude theft not only reduces export volumes and fiscal receipts but also complicates production forecasts and supply chain reliability.