The Senate, through its Public Accounts Committee, on Tuesday gave Seplat Energy, Network E&P Nigeria Limited, All Grace Energy Limited and Aradel Energy Limited 48 hours to appear before it over queries raised against them in the 2021, 2022 and 2023 audit reports by the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, NEITI.

The companies were directed to respond to issues contained in the audit reports or risk the invocation of legislative powers against them.

The ultimatum was issued by the Senator Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo-led committee following displeasure expressed by some members over the absence of the companies.

First to call for sanction was Senator Abdul Ningi, Bauchi Central, who described a letter written by Network E&P Nigeria Limited to the committee as disturbing and provocative.

In the letter, the company said it reports to the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, NUPRC.

“The Senate and by extension, the National Assembly, is the custodian of Nigeria law that has power to invite anybody or agency for explanations on issues raised against them,” Ningi said, citing Sections 88 and 89 of the 1999 Constitution.

In support, Senator Shehu Kaka Lawan, (Borno Central), called for the invocation of constitutional powers against the management of the affected companies.

“Having failed to honour invitation of this committee two consecutive times, the Managing Director of Network E&P Nigeria Limited should appear before us unfailingly on Thursday this week or risk full invocation of legislative powers against him,” Lawan said.

Similar ultimatums were issued against the Managing Directors of All Grace Energy Limited, Aradel Energy Limited and Seplat Energy.

But Dubri Oil Company Limited, which appeared before the committee, defended the $3.025 million royalty and gas flare debts recorded against it in the NEITI report.

NEITI had alleged, based on submissions by NUPRC in 2025, that Dubri Oil owed $2.378 million for gas flare and $646,605.55 for oil production, totalling $3.025 million.

The company’s representative, Soyode Olusoji Clement, faulted the query, saying the report was compiled during a reconciliation issue with NUPRC.

He told the committee that the reconciliation had since been resolved and no debt was outstanding. He presented documents to that effect, which the committee said it would study critically before issuing a clean bill of health.

President Bola Tinubu has urged Nigerians to protect the unity of the country, saying no differences or disagreement should be allowed to destroy the nation.

Tinubu, represented by Deputy President of the Senate, Barau Jibrin, spoke on Tuesday at an event in Abuja.

The President said dialogue was important in keeping Nigeria united, while assuring that his administration remained committed to tackling insecurity and promoting peace.

He said, “Not only that, the government is determined to make sure that we remain united as a country, despite our differences. Whatever the differences may be, we should talk and remain in this country, and allow this country to remain a united nation, a united country.”

The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Prof. Nentawe Yilwatda, also warned politicians against using religion and ethnicity to gain political advantage.

Yilwatda said Nigeria’s diversity should unite its people rather than create further divisions.

Speaking from his experience as a displaced person during the Bauchi crisis, he said violence affects everyone, regardless of their religion.

“When violence comes, it does not ask whether you are a Christian or a Muslim before it destroys either your home or your humanity, or your dignity,” he said.

He said Nigerians might worship differently but still have common hopes, fears and aspirations.

“We may worship differently. Or we may suffer together. We dream together. We can build together. And ultimately, we can rise and fall together,” Yilwatda said.

The APC chairman urged political leaders to avoid turning religion and ethnicity into political weapons, warning that short-term political benefits could cause lasting harm to the country.

“No political victory is worth the permanent damage inflicted on our nation, and we’ve been seeing it every day,” he said.

National Chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council, IPAC, Yusuf Dantalle, has expressed concern over the rising cases of electoral violence in Osun State ahead of the August 15 governorship election.

several local government areas in the state have been identified as hotspots for potential election-related violence ahead of Saturday’s poll.

A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, Dele Momodu, has said that Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, deserves a second term in the August 15 governorship election in the state.

In a post on his verified X handle on Tuesday, Momodu said the All Progressives Congress, APC, had turned Osun State into a theater of war.

According to him, the only sensible strategy was for all opposition parties to align immediately and back the Accord Party candidate and incumbent governor, Adeleke.

The publisher of Ovation Magazine also said that Governor Adeleke had been a global phenomenon who would easily defeat President Tinubu himself in a popularity contest.

“I make this declaration without equivocation, or any fear of contradiction. This is not based on friendship or family ties.

“Adeleke is the best amongst Nigerian Governors, in order of extraordinary performance in infrastructure, health, education, staff welfare, labour unions, agriculture, commerce, culture, women empowerment, youth integration, and so on.

“We should never supply the APC an easy alibi to rig the Osun gubernatorial election on August 15, 2026. God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” he tweeted.

Residents of Mika Sabon-Gida community in Pupule ‘B’ Ward, Yorro Local Government Area of Taraba State, have raised the alarm over a prolonged power outage that has left the community without electricity for more than four months.

The residents, who spoke with DAILY POST, appealed to the Taraba State Government, Yola Electricity Distribution Company (YEDC), elected representatives, philanthropists and other relevant stakeholders to urgently intervene and restore power to the area.

The prolonged blackout, reportedly caused by a faulty transformer, has severely disrupted economic activities and negatively affected the livelihoods and general well-being of residents.

A community leader, Jauro Baki, while appealing to the authorities and well-meaning individuals for support, called for urgent action to address the electricity crisis.

“We are calling on the state government, YEDC and other well-to-do individuals and our elected politicians to come to our aid by ensuring that power is restored to our community.”

For many residents, the impact of the blackout extends beyond the inconvenience of living without electricity, as businesses that depend on regular power supply have been forced to shut down or operate at significantly reduced capacity.

Andrew Helikiah, another resident, said the prolonged outage had contributed to the relocation of some young people from the community after their businesses became increasingly difficult to sustain.

“Because of this, most of our young men and women have relocated from this community to somewhere else because their small businesses are no longer functioning due to the prolonged power outage,” he said.

Also speaking on behalf of the residents, Alhaji Babangida Aliyu Mika Mika, a community representative and former Special Adviser to the Executive Chairman of Yorro Local Government Area, described the situation as increasingly unbearable.

Mika said the faulty transformer was particularly important because it serves not only Mika Sabon-Gida but also provides a critical electricity link to communities around Yorro and Zing Local Government Areas.

He therefore urged the authorities to consider the electricity crisis a matter of wider public interest and urgently provide a replacement transformer.

“Our businesses are dying, and the economic growth of our people has been completely undermined. We have endured over four months without a functional power supply.

“We are calling on the relevant authorities to facilitate the immediate provision of a new transformer to bring life back into our community’s economy,” he said.

Residents said families and business owners had been placed under considerable economic pressure as a result of the blackout, with many forced to depend on alternative sources of electricity, which they described as expensive and unsustainable.

For small-scale businesses, artisans and other economic operators, the absence of reliable electricity has made it increasingly difficult to maintain productivity, operate efficiently and sustain livelihoods.

The community is consequently calling on the Taraba State Government, electricity authorities, elected representatives and other stakeholders to treat the situation as an urgent public-interest matter.

They urged the authorities to facilitate the immediate replacement of the faulty transformer and restore electricity to Mika Sabon-Gida and surrounding communities.

According to the residents, restoring power would not only ease the hardship currently being experienced in Pupule ‘B’ Ward but would also help revive economic activities in neighbouring communities along the Yorro-Zing axis.

Alhaji Babangida Mika also expressed appreciation to government representatives and other stakeholders for their previous interventions in providing essential services aimed at improving the welfare of communities across Yorro LGA.

He, however, appealed for renewed and urgent action to address the electricity crisis, stressing that residents could no longer afford to remain in darkness after more than four months without a functional power supply.

Meanwhile, a senior YEDC officer in Taraba State, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the company had concluded plans to provide the community with a new transformer.

The officer, who directed our reporter to the company’s headquarters in Yola, the capital of Adamawa State, said YEDC was aware of the situation and was working to restore electricity to the community.

“YEDC is aware that the transformer in Mika Sabon-Gida community in Yorro Local Government Council has been down, and the company has been working round the clock to replace it.

“Though I am not in a position to speak to the press on the issue because our spokesperson is based in Yola, I can assure you that plans are already in the pipeline to restore power to the community,” he said.