The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) says it has recovered more than N76.8 billion and $81 million in outstanding statutory levies owed to the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) by oil companies.
An EFCC representative, Francis Oka-Phillips Usani, disclosed the figures on Wednesday while appearing before the Senate Committee on Public Accounts, which is examining the 2021–2023 Oil and Gas Sector Audit Report by the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI).
Usani said the EFCC investigated 43 oil companies over unpaid three per cent statutory levies required to be paid to the NDDC. The investigation found that 24 companies operating in the Niger Delta had outstanding liabilities amounting to N76,883,705,907.17 and $81,076,655.
The remaining 19 companies were cleared after the investigation found no outstanding liability against them, according to the EFCC representative.
Usani said pressure from the anti-graft agency led some of the affected companies to settle their debts directly with the NDDC. Those direct payments amounted to N6.709 billion and $16.994 million, he told the committee.
Of the funds recovered through the EFCC’s intervention, N73.373 billion and $67.070 million had already been released to the NDDC. The EFCC is still holding N3.510 billion and $14.005 million in its recovery account.
The agency said it was also examining other possible outstanding statutory obligations and taxes that may be owed to the Federal Government by companies covered by the investigation.
The Senate committee’s scrutiny of the oil sector audit also saw TotalEnergies EP Nigeria Limited challenged over its response to queries raised in the NEITI report. The committee rejected an attempt by the company to defend the queries through its representatives, citing inadequate representation.
The committee subsequently directed the Managing Director of TotalEnergies EP Nigeria Limited to appear personally before it at a date expected to be fixed next week.
