By Ayomide Otitoju
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has condemned the Tinubu administration following reports that the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) spent ₦17.5 trillion in a single year on fuel pipeline security. He described the spending as “unprecedented and alarming” and labelled it “one of the most brazen financial scandals in our nation’s history.”
In a statement released by the Atiku Media Office on Sunday, the former vice president compared the alleged expenditure to Nigeria’s fuel subsidy program, which cost about ₦18 trillion over 12 years and benefited millions of citizens by stabilising transport costs and food prices.
“For clarity, Nigeria spent roughly ₦18 trillion on fuel subsidy over twelve years — a national programme that cushioned millions of Nigerians, stabilised the transport sector, and helped keep food prices manageable,” Atiku said.
He added that under President Bola Tinubu, nearly the same amount has reportedly been spent in a single year on opaque pipeline security contracts linked to associates of the President. “Indeed, the action of the President is akin to robbing Peter (Nigerians) to pay Paul (cronies). This is not governance. This is grand larceny dressed as public expenditure,” the statement said.
Atiku also criticised the removal of the fuel subsidy, highlighting the administration’s call for Nigerians to “tighten their belts” while ₦17.5 trillion was channeled into pipeline security contracts that could have funded the power sector, refineries, or universal healthcare.
According to NNPCL records cited by Atiku, the administration spent ₦7.13 trillion on “energy-security costs to maintain stable petrol prices” and another ₦8.67 trillion on “under-recovery.” He described these terms as “a new coinage of the Tinubu administration to deceive Nigerians on the government’s claim that it ended petroleum subsidies.”
The former vice president demanded accountability, raising questions on the beneficiaries and justification for the 38.7 percent rise in energy costs from N6.25 trillion in 2024 to N8.67 trillion in 2025.
“No administration that presides over this level of fiscal recklessness has the moral authority to demand sacrifice from its people,” he said, calling the spending a redirection of public wealth to a “privileged cartel anchored around the Presidency.”
Atiku urged the government to:
Publish the full list of companies awarded pipeline security contracts;
Disclose the scope, deliverables, and duration of each contract;
Submit the ₦17.5 trillion expenditure to an independent forensic audit;
Halt further disbursements until accountability is established;
Explain how the expenditure aligns with national priorities amid economic hardship.
“Nigerians deserve transparency, not deceit; leadership, not cronyism; and a government that places national interest above private enrichment,” Atiku concluded.
