The Senate has condemned and dissociated itself from recent remarks made by Senator Adams Oshiomhole describing the management of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) as “a bunch of criminals and thieves.”
The Senate has formally distanced itself from and condemned derogatory remarks made by Senator Adams Oshiomhole, who recently labeled the management of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) as “a bunch of criminals and thieves.”
The confrontation erupted during a tense session of the Senate Public Accounts Committee, which is currently investigating the alleged misappropriation of trillions of naira within the state-owned oil firm. The clash began when Umar Ajiya, the former Chief Financial Officer of NNPCL, claimed that certain public officials were pressuring the company to employ their children.
Reacting fiercely to the assertion, Oshiomhole declared that NNPCL lacks a credible reputation. The lawmaker further alleged that the officials seeking employment for their children merely want their families to benefit from institutional financial crimes.
“I heard you saying that people want their children to be employed in NNPC, that is because it is a house of thieves and they want their children to benefit from it. NNPC has no reputation, your reputation is for fraud. How can you sit down here and say people want their children employed in NNPC? So you think we are joking here?” he said
Oshiomhole’s comments sparked a heated debate on social media with a wide range or reactions.
During a plenary session on Thursday, June 11, 2026, the upper legislative chamber explicitly clarified that the Edo State lawmaker’s comments represent his personal opinion and do not reflect the official position, resolution, findings, or determination of the Senate as an institution.
During the heated deliberations, lawmakers strongly criticised Oshiomhole’s statements, characterising them as an unwarranted and unprofessional attack on the character of public officers.
High-ranking legislators, including Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin and Senate Minority Leader Abba Moro, cautioned the former Edo State governor against making defamatory remarks that could undermine the integrity of public institutions, with several colleagues demanding that Oshiomhole publicly withdraw his statement.
The Senate also withdrew the warrant of arrest the Committee on Public Accounts issued against former Group Chief Executive Officer of the NNPCL, Mele Kyari, over an alleged failure to honor legislative invitations.
