Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has challenged the federal government to account for the staggering ₦17.5 trillion reportedly spent on pipeline security in just one year.
According to the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited’s 2024 audited financial statement, the company spent the eye-watering sum on securing petroleum pipelines. Atiku is now demanding full disclosure — and answers.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the former vice-president urged the government to publish the full list of companies that received the contracts, alongside the scope, deliverables, and duration of each deal.
He argued that Nigerians deserve to know how such massive spending aligns with national priorities, especially at a time of severe economic hardship. He further called for an independent forensic audit and an immediate halt to additional payments until transparency is assured.
Atiku described the expenditure as “one of the most brazen financial scandals in our history”, accusing the Tinubu administration of diverting public funds under the guise of pipeline protection.
To put the figure in perspective, he noted that Nigeria spent about ₦18 trillion on fuel subsidy over 12 years — a programme that, according to him, helped millions by stabilising transport and food prices. Yet, he said, nearly the same amount has now been spent in a single year on a mixture of security contracts and disguised subsidy payments.
He criticised the government’s introduction of terms such as “energy-security cost” and “under-recovery”, describing them as “new coinages” designed to mask the reality that subsidy is still being paid.
Calling the situation a “moral indictment” on the Tinubu administration, Atiku accused the government of redirecting public wealth to a small circle of cronies, likening the actions to “robbing Peter to pay Paul”.
Atiku insisted the expenditure raises serious questions about accountability, public trust, and national integrity, alleging that the administration never truly ended fuel subsidies — it simply shifted the money elsewhere.
