ADC Queries Tinubu Government Over N17.5trillion NNPC ‘Energy Security’ Spending, Demands Probe Into Pipeline Surveillance Contracts
ADC Queries Tinubu Government Over N17.5trillion NNPC ‘Energy Security’ Spending, Demands Probe Into Pipeline Surveillance Contracts
The opposition party said the figures contained in the audited accounts raise serious questions about transparency, accountability and value for money, particularly at a time millions of Nigerians are grappling with worsening economic hardship.
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has challenged the President Bola Tinubu-led government to explain what it described as the extraordinary surge in spending on pipeline surveillance and energy security, following the release of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited’s (NNPC Ltd.) audited 2024 financial statements.
The opposition party said the figures contained in the audited accounts raise serious questions about transparency, accountability and value for money, particularly at a time millions of Nigerians are grappling with worsening economic hardship.
In a statement released on Monday by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC noted that while public attention had previously focused on pipeline surveillance contracts worth about N48billion, the latest audited accounts showed that NNPC recorded N7.13trillion under “Energy Security” for the 2024 financial year alone.
According to the party, when other fuel-related costs and receivables reflected in the accounts are added, the amount rises to approximately N17.5trillion.
“The figures raise questions that cannot be ignored by the Tinubu-led APC government,” Abdullahi said.
“Only a few years ago, Nigerians debated a pipeline surveillance contract worth about N48billion. Today, the audited accounts record N7.13trillion under ‘Energy Security’ for 2024. When other fuel-related costs and receivables reflected in the accounts are taken into consideration, the amount rises to about N17.5trillion.”
He said Nigerians deserve a detailed explanation for what accounts for such a massive increase in expenditure and what tangible benefits the country has derived from it.
“Nigerians deserve to know what accounts for such an extraordinary escalation and, more importantly, what value the country has received in return,” he stated.
While acknowledging that safeguarding Nigeria’s oil and gas infrastructure is a legitimate national responsibility, the ADC argued that expenditures made in the name of national security cannot be shielded from public scrutiny.
“As a responsible political party, the ADC recognises that protecting Nigeria’s oil and gas infrastructure is a legitimate national priority. But spending in the name of security cannot be exempt from public scrutiny. The bigger the bill, the stronger the obligation to explain it,” Abdullahi said.
The party also referenced public reports identifying Tantita Security Services Nigeria Limited, a company linked to former Niger Delta militant leader Government Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo, as a major beneficiary of pipeline surveillance contracts.
According to the ADC, recent political developments have made transparency even more necessary.
“Public reports have consistently identified Tantita Security Services Nigeria Ltd., a company linked to Government Ekpemupolo (Tompolo), as a major beneficiary of pipeline surveillance contracts.
“At the same time, Government Ekpemupolo has recently emerged as a prominent mobiliser for President Tinubu’s re-election campaign. These are facts that make transparency even more imperative.
“Nigerians are entitled to ask whether public funds appropriated for pipeline security are being used solely to protect critical national assets, or whether the lines between state expenditure and political mobilisation have become blurred.”
The opposition party consequently demanded a comprehensive breakdown of all spending on pipeline surveillance and energy security since Tinubu assumed office on May 29, 2023.
It asked the Federal Government to disclose the identities of contractors awarded the jobs, the sums paid to each contractor, the specific outcomes achieved and whether any independent value-for-money assessment had been conducted.
“In this regard, Nigerians are entitled to know how much has been spent on pipeline surveillance and energy security since President Bola Tinubu came into office in May 2023, who received the contracts, how much was paid, what results were achieved, and whether any independent value-for-money assessment was carried out.
“These are ordinary questions that, in any democracy, should attract ordinary answers,” the statement added.
The ADC further argued that the huge expenditure should translate into measurable improvements in the lives of Nigerians, especially amid the country’s economic challenges.
“At a time when families are struggling with the cost of food, transport and electricity, when businesses are closing their doors and young people cannot find jobs, Nigerians have a right to ask whether the trillions of naira spent in the name of energy security have made the country more secure, the economy more productive, or the lives of ordinary citizens any better.
“If the answer is yes, the government should have no difficulty showing Nigerians the evidence.”
The party called on President Tinubu, the Board and Management of NNPC Ltd. and the relevant committees of the National Assembly to immediately publish a full breakdown of the energy security expenditure.
“The question is no longer how much was spent. The question is what Nigeria has to show for it,” the statement concluded.
