NNPCL is reportedly facing a fresh storm over alleged N210 trillion discrepancy in financial records.
NewsOnline Nigeria reports that the financial accountability of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) is once again under intense public and legislative scrutiny following revelations of a staggering N210 trillion discrepancy in its audited financial statements spanning 2017 to 2023.
The issue came to light during a session of the Senate Committee on Public Accounts held last Wednesday, where Committee Chairman, Senator Aliyu Wadada, expressed alarm over the missing trillions and issued a one-week ultimatum for the state-owned oil company to provide detailed explanations.
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Wadada, known for his no-nonsense stance on public accountability, vowed that the Senate would invoke the full weight of its oversight powers to investigate the matter thoroughly.
In its defense, NNPCL’s Chief Financial Officer, Adedapo Segun, reportedly attributed the missing funds to “cash calls” — payments made to joint venture partners and other liabilities. However, the explanation has failed to allay public concern, especially in a country plagued by repeated scandals involving opaque oil revenues.
Critics warn that this latest probe may go the way of previous high-profile investigations that fizzled out without consequence. For instance, in June 2024, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) filed a suit over N500 billion allegedly unremitted to the Federation Account — a case that has since stalled, like many others before it.
Reacting to the scandal, the Country Director of Transparency International Nigeria, Auwal Musa Rafsanjani, called for criminal accountability, accusing successive Nigerian presidents — including President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Muhammadu Buhari, and Olusegun Obasanjo — of shielding the NNPCL from scrutiny by holding onto the petroleum minister portfolio themselves.
“Since 1999, the NNPCL has operated as a cash cow for those in power,” Rafsanjani told DAILY POST. “There has been no meaningful deterrent despite repeated revelations of missing and unaccounted-for funds. The institution has become a symbol of systemic failure.”
He blamed the lack of transparency and institutional independence for the persistent abuse of NNPCL’s revenue, arguing that only a radical governance shift can end the culture of impunity.
“This is a collective failure. Presidents have deliberately kept the petroleum ministry under their control to facilitate corruption,” he said. “Until we have leaders willing to break this pattern, scandals like the N210 trillion will continue to resurface.”
Energy policy analyst and Managing Partner at BBH Consulting, Barrister Ameh Madaki, echoed similar concerns. He described the financial secrecy surrounding the NNPCL as “deeply entrenched” and warned that without concrete legal consequences, the latest revelations would likely fade from public discourse.
“The industry has operated under a shroud of opacity for decades,” Madaki told DAILY POST. “Each new scandal replaces the last, and accountability remains elusive. There’s little incentive to believe anything different will happen this time.”
As the Senate’s ultimatum ticks down, Nigerians are once again left watching and waiting to see whether this probe will lead to accountability or be quietly buried like so many before it.
