Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has called for an independent forensic audit of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited’s (NNPCL) reported ₦17.5 trillion expenditure on securing fuel pipelines and other related costs within a 12-month period.
Describing the figure as “one of the most brazen financial scandals in Nigeria’s history,” Atiku challenged the Federal Government to publish the full list of companies that received the contracts and to disclose the scope, deliverables, and duration of each.
In a statement on Saturday, Atiku said all further disbursements should be halted until full accountability is established, insisting that government must explain how such spending aligns with national priorities amid what he called “unprecedented economic strangulation.”
The former vice president was reacting to reports showing that NNPCL spent ₦17.5 trillion in one year on pipeline protection and related security services — nearly the same amount Nigeria spent on fuel subsidy over a 12-year period.
Atiku criticized President Bola Tinubu’s administration for what he described as contradictions, noting that while fuel subsidy was removed on the grounds that the country could no longer afford it, the government is now allegedly spending similar amounts through “opaque security contracts awarded to private firms tied to associates and cronies of the President.”
He accused the administration of “robbing Peter to pay Paul,” saying:
“This is not governance but a grand larceny dressed as public expenditure.”
Atiku also questioned why petrol still sells for over ₦1,000 per litre in some states despite claims that subsidy has ended, pointing to NNPCL records which show ₦7.13 trillion spent on “energy-security cost” to keep petrol prices stable and another ₦8.67 trillion on “under-recovery.”
He dismissed these terms as “new coinages designed to deceive Nigerians.”
Atiku raised several critical questions for the Tinubu administration:
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Who are the companies paid under these contracts?
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What justifies the rise in “energy-cost” from ₦6.25tr in 2024 to ₦8.67tr in 2025?
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Why is pipeline security now more expensive than a decade-long subsidy that served over 200 million Nigerians?
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Where are the audit reports, parliamentary oversight findings, and cost-validation documents?
He argued that no administration that presides over “this level of fiscal recklessness” can demand sacrifice from citizens facing soaring inflation, fuel hardship, currency collapse, and widespread hunger.
According to him, the expenditure shows that the government did not end subsidy, but “redirected public wealth to a privileged cartel anchored around the Presidency.”
Atiku demanded immediate action:
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Publish all companies awarded the contracts.
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Disclose full contract details — scope, deliverables, and duration.
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Subject the ₦17.5tr spend to an independent forensic audit.
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Suspend further disbursement until the audit is concluded.
He concluded that Nigerians deserve transparency, not deceit, stressing that the expenditure is “a moral indictment on the Tinubu administration and a clarion call for full accountability.”
