Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — Former presidential candidate and Labour Party leader, Mr. Peter Obi, has condemned the revelation of N210 trillion in financial irregularities in the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL, accounts between 2017 and 2023, describing it as proof that Nigeria “has become a crime scene.”
Obi’s fiery reaction followed the Senate’s recent disclosure that the NNPCL’s audited accounts for the period revealed N103 trillion in unexplained “accrued expenses” and another N107 trillion in missing “receivables”, all without documentation or accountability.
“This is not just another scandal. It is a clear and damning confirmation of a nation held hostage by monumental corruption,” Obi said in a statement.
He drew attention to the staggering size of the alleged irregularities, which far exceed the total national budgets for the same period.
“Our total national budget from 2017 to 2023 was N88.010 trillion. The financial discrepancies and irregularities uncovered, N210 trillion, are more than twice that amount. How else does one explain this level of impunity?” he asked.
Obi listed the national budgets for each year within the affected period, pointing out that in no single year did the country spend even half of the alleged irregular sums.
“This is a criminal institutionalised betrayal of the Nigerian people and a grave threat to the future of the society our children will live in,” he stated.
Calling for urgent reform and justice, Obi warned that no country can function sustainably under such systemic abuse.
“No responsible nation can continue to function like this without confronting this truth. This criminality masquerading as governance must be stopped and dismantled for a better Nigeria,” he declared.
Reiterating his campaign mantra, Obi closed his statement with a call for transformation: “A new Nigeria is POssible.”
The NNPC has yet to publicly respond to the Senate’s findings or Obi’s comments at the time of filing this report.
