Row In Senate As Oshiomhole Accuses Akpabio, Others Of Securing NNPC Jobs For Their Children

ABUJA — The Nigerian Senate has formally dissociated itself from explosive remarks made by Senator Adams Oshiomhole, who openly labeled the management of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) as “a bunch of criminals and thieves.”

The legislative body issued the institutional pushback following a motion sponsored by Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele, declaring that the Edo North lawmaker’s statement was strictly his personal opinion and did not represent the position of the upper chamber.

The drama unfolded during a Senate Public Accounts Committee session investigating alleged multi-trillion naira financial discrepancies at the NNPCL. Tempers flared when a former high-ranking NNPCL official implied that lawmakers regularly lobby the oil firm to employ their relatives.

Oshiomhole fiercely pushed back against the insinuation, revealing that senators themselves were being subtly blackmailed by the oil company.

“Rather than provide answers, we were told that senators do not have a monopoly on patriotism and were accused of recommending their children for employment in NNPC,” Oshiomhole stated, directly challenging Senate President Godswill Akpabio and his colleagues on the floor. He noted that his subsequent “house of thieves” label was a direct reaction to that provocation.

Despite Oshiomhole’s explanation that he acted under provocation to defend the integrity of the parliament, high-ranking legislators, including Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, condemned the sweepingly defamatory language and demanded a public withdrawal to protect the state-owned enterprise.

While Oshiomhole maintained his stance on the urgent need to hold the NNPCL management accountable, the Senate finalized its stance by cautioning against pronouncing individuals or public institutions guilty before the official completion of legislative investigations.

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