Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has condemned the Bola Tinubu administration after reports emerged that the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) spent ₦17.5 trillion in a single year on securing fuel pipelines. He described the expenditure as “unprecedented and alarming” and one of the most brazen financial scandals in Nigeria’s history.
In a statement issued by the Atiku Media Office on Sunday, the former vice president contrasted the reported pipeline security spending with Nigeria’s fuel subsidy program, which cost roughly ₦18 trillion over 12 years and provided relief to millions of citizens, stabilized transport costs, and helped control food prices.
“Atiku noted: ‘For clarity, Nigeria spent roughly ₦18 trillion on fuel subsidy over twelve years, a program that directly cushioned millions of Nigerians. Yet under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, nearly the same amount has been spent in a single year on opaque pipeline security contracts linked to presidential associates. This is not governance; this is grand larceny dressed as public expenditure.’”
Atiku criticized the administration’s justification for removing the fuel subsidy, saying Nigerians were told to “tighten their belts, endure hardship, and make sacrifices,” while the same administration reportedly channelled ₦17.5 trillion into opaque contracts that could have transformed the power sector, rebuilt refineries, or funded universal healthcare.
According to NNPCL records cited by Atiku, the spending included ₦7.13 trillion for “energy-security costs to maintain stable petrol prices” and ₦8.67 trillion for “under-recovery.” He described these terms as a “new coinage of the Tinubu administration to mislead Nigerians into thinking subsidies had ended.”
Atiku posed several questions to the government, highlighting concerns over transparency and accountability:
- Who are the companies awarded these contracts?
- What justifies a 38.7% rise in energy costs from N6.25tn in 2024 to N8.67tn in 2025?
- Why is pipeline security now more expensive than a decade-long subsidy that served over 200 million Nigerians?
- Where are the audit reports, parliamentary oversight findings, and cost-validation documents?
“No administration that presides over this level of fiscal recklessness has the moral authority to demand sacrifices from its people,” Atiku said. He warned that the public cannot continue to endure inflation, rising fuel prices, currency collapse, and hunger while a select circle of political allies allegedly benefit from massive public funds.
He urged the Tinubu administration to:
- Publish the full list of companies awarded these contracts;
- Disclose the scope, deliverables, and duration of each contract;
- Subject the entire ₦17.5 trillion expenditure to an independent forensic audit;
- Halt further disbursement until accountability is ensured;
- Explain how such spending aligns with national priorities amid economic hardship.
“Atiku concluded: ‘Nigerians deserve transparency, not deceit; leadership, not cronyism; and a government that places national interest above private enrichment.’”
