Atiku condemns Tinubu as he questions the ₦17.5tn pipeline security spend and demands a forensic audit and full disclosure from the administration

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has sharply criticised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) over disclosures that the firm spent ₦17.5 trillion in one financial year on pipeline protection and energy-security operations.

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In a statement issued by the Atiku Media Office, Atiku Condemns Tinubu for what he described as an unprecedented and troubling expenditure pattern.

Atiku said the reported figure stood out as one of the most brazen financial scandals in Nigeria’s history, arguing that the spending was nearly equivalent to the country’s entire fuel subsidy bill over a 12-year period.

He noted that the former subsidy regime had at least offered direct cushioning for millions of Nigerians by stabilising transport costs and helping keep food prices steady.

He maintained that the Tinubu administration had channelled almost the same amount in a single year into opaque pipeline security contracts allegedly linked to associates of the presidency.

Atiku described the situation as a grave misplacement of national priorities at a time when citizens were urged to endure hardship and make sacrifices.

According to the statement, NNPCL records showed that ₦7.13 trillion had been classified as “energy-security cost” to keep petrol prices stable, while ₦8.67 trillion was attributed to “under-recovery.”

Atiku said the terms were new inventions designed to disguise the continued payment of fuel subsidies despite the government’s public declaration that subsidy had ended.

He posed several questions that he said required immediate public scrutiny, including the identities of companies awarded the contracts, justification for the sharp rise in spending, and why pipeline protection now costs more than a decade of subsidy support that served over 200 million people.

Atiku argued that any administration presiding over such fiscal recklessness lacked the moral authority to demand further sacrifice from Nigerians.

He called for a comprehensive forensic audit, publication of all contract beneficiaries, disclosure of contract terms, and an immediate halt to further disbursement until full accountability is established. He described the situation as a moral indictment and a clarion call for transparency.

The spending revelations also highlight mounting pressure on NNPCL’s balance sheet, as the firm continues to operate on the expectation of reimbursement from the federal government.

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The disclosures appear to conflict with President Tinubu’s May 2023 pronouncement that fuel subsidy had been eliminated, raising renewed debate over the true status of petrol pricing support.