The recovery followed a probe of 43 oil companies, while Senate lawmakers summon major oil chiefs over unresolved NEITI audit queries

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has recovered more than N115 billion and $84 million in outstanding Niger Delta Development Commission levies from oil companies, Francis Oka-Phillips Usani told the Senate Public Accounts Committee in Abuja on Wednesday, August 12, 2026, as lawmakers intensified their investigation into findings from Nigeria’s extractive industry audits.

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The recovery followed an EFCC investigation into 43 oil companies identified through queries raised in the 2021 to 2023 Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative Oil and Gas Industry Audit Reports.

Usani, who represented the anti-graft agency before the committee chaired by Senator Ibrahim Dankwambo, said 24 of the companies operating in the Niger Delta were found to have outstanding obligations relating to the statutory three per cent levy payable to the NDDC.

The other 19 companies investigated were cleared of the specific liabilities under review.

At the beginning of the investigation, the 24 affected companies were found to owe N76,883,705,907.17 and $81,076,655, according to Usani.

He said the intervention subsequently prompted some companies to pay their obligations directly to the NDDC, with N6.71 billion and $16.99 million remitted in that manner.

The EFCC also recovered additional funds and transferred a substantial portion to the NDDC.

Usani told the committee that N73.37 billion and $67.07 million had been released to the development commission, while N3.51 billion and $14.01 million remained in the EFCC’s recovery account. (Punch Newspapers)

“Out of the sums so far recovered by the commission on behalf of NDDC, total sums of N73.37bn and $67.07m have been released to NDDC, leaving the balance of N3.51bn and $14.01m in EFCC’s recovery account,” Usani said.

The recovery brings fresh attention to the financial obligations of companies operating in Nigeria’s oil-producing region, where the NDDC relies on statutory contributions to fund development interventions.

NEITI’s oil and gas data platform identifies the NDDC levy as a three per cent charge on the annual budget of upstream companies, intended to support the commission’s mandate and address ecological problems associated with oil exploration.

The EFCC said its investigation was primarily focused on the unpaid NDDC levy highlighted in the audit findings, although it remained open to the possibility that companies could have other unpaid statutory obligations.

“The EFCC focused on one primary pillar identified in the NEITI report, i.e., unpaid three per cent statutory levies due to NDDC, but we did not lose sight of the fact that there could be other unpaid statutory obligations and taxes due to the Federal Government,” Usani said.

The clarification is significant because the Senate investigation extends beyond the specific recovery already achieved.

The Public Accounts Committee is examining the broader financial issues raised by the 2021, 2022 and 2023 NEITI audits, including whether companies have fully met their obligations to government institutions.

NEITI’s published audit records cover separate oil and gas audits for 2021, 2022 and 2023, alongside detailed appendices examining production, lifting and payment information.

Oil chiefs summoned

As the EFCC presented its findings, the Senate committee adopted a tougher position towards oil companies whose financial records remain subject to unresolved queries.

The committee rejected an attempt by TotalEnergies EP Nigeria Limited to send a representative in place of its managing director.

Lawmakers directed the company’s managing director to appear personally before the committee next week to respond to the outstanding issues.

The panel also issued what it described as a final opportunity to the managing directors of South Atlantic Petroleum Limited, Oando Oil Limited, Famfa Oil Limited and Green Energy International Limited to appear before it personally.

The summons reflect the committee’s growing insistence on direct answers from company executives rather than relying solely on representatives or written submissions.

The Senate has previously warned companies invited over unresolved audit queries that failure to appear could lead to the National Assembly invoking its constitutional powers.

The latest action comes as lawmakers attempt to establish whether outstanding payments identified in the NEITI reports have since been settled and, where they remain unpaid, why.

The investigation also raises a wider question about the effectiveness of Nigeria’s revenue collection and compliance systems in the extractive sector.

The fact that an audit finding led to an EFCC investigation and subsequent recovery demonstrates how discrepancies identified through transparency mechanisms can translate into enforcement action.

For the Niger Delta, the recovery is particularly important because the NDDC’s statutory funding is intended to support development in communities affected by decades of oil and gas activity.

Yet the recovery figures also underline the scale of obligations that can remain unsettled before investigative or enforcement intervention takes place.

The Senate committee is expected to continue its hearing on Thursday, with further oil companies and relevant government agencies potentially appearing before the panel.

Chairman Dankwambo said the committee would continue its investigation until it obtained satisfactory explanations on the issues raised in the audit reports.

For the EFCC, the latest figures represent a substantial recovery. For the Senate, however, the exercise is about more than recovering money already owed.

It is also an examination of why statutory obligations were not remitted in the first place and whether existing systems are strong enough to prevent similar revenue leakages in future.

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With major oil companies now facing personal summonses, the next phase of the probe could bring further recoveries, additional enforcement measures and closer scrutiny of the financial relationship between Nigeria’s extractive companies and the government agencies entitled to their statutory payments.