*Queries  overlap between Tompolo’s pipeline contracts and Tinubu campaign role

THE African Democratic Congress (ADC) has called on the Federal Government and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) to make   full details of the N7.13 trillion recorded as energy security expenditure in the company’s 2024 audited accounts.

In a statement issued by Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC’s National Publicity Secretary, the party said the scale of the spending demands full transparency, including the disclosure of all beneficiaries, payments made, the outcomes achieved, and any independent audit of the expenditure.

The party further argued that Government Ekpemupolo (Tompolo), whose company, Tantita Security Services Nigeria Ltd., has been publicly identified as a major pipeline surveillance contractor, is also a prominent mobiliser for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s re-election campaign, and said this makes it imperative for the government to demonstrate to Nigerians that the trillions of Naira in public funds that have been appropriated for pipeline security are not being used to support partisan political activity.

ADC  expressed concerns over   the figures contained in the recently audited accounts of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd.) for the 2024 financial year.

“The figures raise questions that cannot be ignored by the Tinubu-led APC government. Only a few years ago, Nigerians debated a pipeline surveillance contract worth about N48 billion. Today, the audited accounts record N7.13 trillion under “Energy Security” for 2024. That represents an increase of almost 14,800 per cent over the figure that once provoked national outrage.

“When other fuel-related costs and receivables reflected in the accounts are taken into consideration, the amount rises to about N17.5 trillion.

 “Nigerians deserve to know what accounts for such an extraordinary escalation and, more importantly, what value the country has received in return.

“As a responsible political party, the ADC recognises that protecting Nigeria’s oil and gas infrastructure is a legitimate national priority. But spending in the name of security cannot be exempt from public scrutiny. The bigger the bill, the stronger the obligation to explain it.

“Public reports have consistently identified Tantita Security Services Nigeria Ltd., a company linked to Government Ekpemupolo (Tompolo), as a major beneficiary of pipeline surveillance contracts. At the same time, Government Ekpemupolo has recently emerged as a prominent mobiliser for President Tinubu’s re-election campaign. These are facts that make transparency even more imperative. Nigerians are entitled to ask whether public funds appropriated for pipeline security are being used solely to protect critical national assets, or whether the lines between state expenditure and political mobilisation have become blurred.”

The statement continued,” in this regard, Nigerians are entitled to know how much has been spent on pipeline surveillance and energy security since President Bola Tinubu came into office in May 2023, who received the contracts, how much was paid, what results were achieved, and whether any independent value-for-money assessment was carried out.

“These are ordinary questions that, in any democracy, should attract ordinary answers.

“At a time when families are struggling with the cost of food, transport and electricity, when businesses are closing their doors and young people cannot find jobs, Nigerians have a right to ask whether the trillions of Naira spent in the name of energy security have made the country more secure, the economy more productive, or the lives of ordinary citizens any better. If the answer is yes, the government should have no difficulty showing Nigerians the evidence.

“We therefore call on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the Board and Management of NNPC Ltd., and the relevant committees of the National Assembly to immediately publish the full details of the energy security expenditure.

“The question is no longer how much was spent. The question is what Nigeria has to show for it.”