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SERAP Sues NNPC Ltd Over Missing N22.3bn, $49.7m, £14.3m, €5.2m Oil Money
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has filed a lawsuit against the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd) over the “failure to account for the alleged missing or diverted N22.3 billion, USD$49.7 million, £14.3 million and €5.2 million oil money.”
The suit followed the damning allegations documented in the 2022 audited report by the Auditor-General of the Federation, which was published on 9 September 2025.
In the suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/195/2026 filed last Friday at the Federal High Court in Abuja, SERAP is seeking: “an order of mandamus to direct and compel the NNPCL to account for the alleged missing or diverted N22.3 billion, USD$49.7 million, £14.3 million, and €5.2 million oil money.”
The SERAP is asking the court to “direct and compel the NNPCL to disclose the specific financial transactions carried out in respect of the alleged missing or diverted N22.3 billion, USD$49.7 million, £14.3 million and €5.2 million oil money, including details of disbursement, the contractors, and other individuals who collected the money.”
In the suit, SERAP is arguing that: “The diverted or misappropriated oil revenues reflect a failure of NNPCL accountability more generally and are directly linked to the institution’s continuing failure to uphold the principles of transparency and accountability.”
The SERAP is also arguing that, “granting the reliefs sought would strike a blow against the impunity of those responsible for the missing or diverted oil money, and ensure that the money is returned for the sake of NNPCL’s victims—Nigerians.”
The SERAP said, “The allegations have also undermined the economic development of the country, trapped the majority of Nigerians in poverty and deprived them of opportunities.”
According to the SERAP, “The Auditor-General has for many years documented reports of disappearance of oil money from the NNPCL. Nigerians continue to bear the brunt of these missing oil money meant to provide essential public services for Nigerians.”
The SERAP is also arguing that, “Combating the corruption epidemic in the oil sector would alleviate poverty, improve access of Nigerians to basic public goods and services, and enhance the ability of the government to meet its human rights and anti-corruption obligations.”
The lawsuit filed on behalf of the SERAP by its lawyers, Oluwakemi Agunbiade and Valentina Adegoke, read in part: “The diverted or misappropriated oil revenues have further damaged the already precarious economy and contributed to very high levels of deficit spending and borrowing by the government.”
“Despite the country’s enormous oil wealth, ordinary Nigerians have derived very little benefit from oil money primarily because of the widespread grand corruption including in the NNPCL, and the entrenched culture of impunity of perpetrators.”
“The grim allegations by the Auditor-General suggest a grave violation of the public trust and the provisions of the Nigerian Constitution, national anticorruption laws, and the country’s international human rights and anticorruption obligations.”
“According to the 2022 audited report by the Auditor General of the Federation, published on 9 September 2025, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL) failed to account for over N22.3 billion, USD$49.7 million, £14.3 million and €5.2 million oil money.”
“The NNPCL in 2020 reportedly paid over N292 million [N292,609,972.29] ‘for a contract to construct an Accident and Emergency Facility along Airport Road, Abuja.’ But ‘the contractor has abandoned the contract, and failed to execute the job, despite collecting the fee.’”
“The Auditor-General fears the contract money may have been ‘diverted’. He wants the money ‘recovered from the contractor and remitted to the treasury.’”
“The NNPCL in 2021 also reportedly spent over GBP£14 million [£14,322,426.59] ‘to repair its London office.’ But ‘there was no evidence to show that the money was actually spent, and no documents of any spending’.”
“The NNPCL also ‘irregularly paid’ over USD$22 million [$22,842,938.28] to a contractor for lifting 9 cargoes of crude oil.’ The NNPCL ‘failed to explain why the amount due to it from crude from January to October 2019 was only $4,858,997.22 and why the contractor got over $22 million for crude for the same period.’”
“The NNPCL in 2021 ‘irregularly paid N2.3 billion [N2,379,488,622.99] as car cash option to 100 staff’ but ‘without the approval of the National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission’, and ‘without any document to show that the 100 staff applied for the cash options and any rationale for the payments.’”
“The NNPCL in 2021 also reportedly ‘failed to deduct statutory taxes of over N247 million [N247,181,597.92] from payments made to contractors and service providers.’ The NNPCL also ‘failed to deduct statutory taxes of over USD$529,000 [$529,863.24] from payments made to contractors and service providers.’”
“The NNPCL ‘paid over N3bn [N3,445,022,107.40] for various services’ but ‘without any documents or trace’. The Auditor-General fears ‘the money may have diverted’.”
“The NNPCL ‘irregularly renewed a contract for over USD$1 million [$1,801,500.00] for charter hire of coastal vessel.’ The money was paid ‘before the consummation of a formal contract ratification.’”
“The NNPCL also ‘irregularly paid a contractor over N355 million [N355,436,310.42] as consultancy fees for negotiating and securing waiver to avoid demurrage on abandoned cargoes.’”
“The NNPCL ‘paid over N474 million [N474,462,744.53] to a contractor for the connection of Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company Limited to the National Grid.’ The Auditor-General is concerned ‘the money may have been lost’.”
“The NNPCL ‘paid over USD$2 million [$2,006,293.20] to a contractor for the rehabilitation and upgrade of system-depot project’, but ‘without any documents’. The NNPCL also ‘paid over N478 million [N478,505,300.00] to a contractor for the rehabilitation and upgrade of system-depot project’, but ‘without any documents’.”
“The NNPCL in 2019 ‘awarded a contract for over USD$8 million [$8, 211,432.00] ‘for the emergency procurement and installation of custody transfer meters on crude oil and product pipelines at eleven locations.’ The Auditor-General fears that ‘the payments may be for work not executed.’”
“The NNPCL ‘irregularly paid over €5 million [€5,165,426.26] to a contractor for the operation and maintenance of Atlas Cove Jetty Facility’ but ‘without any documents.’ The Auditor-General fears that ‘the money may have been diverted’.”
“The NNPCL ‘paid over USD$1 million [$1,035,132.81] as legacy debt for charter hire of coastal vessels to a company without power of attorney.’ The Auditor-General fears that ‘the money may have been diverted’.’”
“The NNPCL ‘inflated a contract for over USD$1 million [$1,926,497.38] to hire a Time Charter for Carriage of Petroleum Products.’ The Auditor-General fears that ‘the money may have been diverted’.”
“The NNPCL ‘paid $156,000.00 to a consultant as outstanding fee for advising on the financing of the rehabilitation of PHRC’, but ‘the payment is doubtful’’. The Auditor-General fears that ‘the money may have been diverted’.”
“The NNPCL ‘failed to deduct USD$8,355.18 as taxes from the payment of outstanding fees to a consultant for advising on the financing of the rehabilitation of PHRC.’”
“The NNPCL ‘irregularly paid over N82 million [N82,647,151.00] to a consultant for geotechnical/geophysical investigations of the proposed Independent Power Plant Project site.’ But ‘there was no document showing any evidence of payment’. The Auditor-General fears that ‘the money may have been diverted.’”
“The NNPCL ‘paid over N246 million [N246,196,566.00] for a contract for the purchase and supply of 2400 meters of seamless carbon steel pipe to Warri Refinery Petrochemicals Company Limited.’ But ‘the contract was not never executed and the items were not supplied.’”
“The NNPCL ‘failed to deduct over N46 million [N46,244,033.79] as taxes from a consultancy contract in December 2020 and 2021.’ The Auditor-General wants ‘the money recovered and remitted to the treasury.’”
“The NNPCL ‘irregularly paid N200 million [N200,000,000.00] as settlement for tax renegotiation.’ The Auditor-General fears that ‘the money may have been diverted.’”
“The NNPCL ‘failed to remit over N12 billion [N12,721,000,000.00] into the general reserve fund its operating surplus for December 2020.’ The Auditor-General fears that ‘the money may have been diverted.’”
“The NNPCL ‘irregularly paid N152 million [N152,000,000.00] to a company to execute a procurement contract requested from the Office of the Inspector-General of Police’, but ‘without any documents.’”
“The NNPCL ‘irregularly paid N25,000,000.00 as additional consultancy fee on a contract for accounting support.’ The Auditor-General fears that ‘the money may have been diverted.’ He wants ‘the money recovered and remitted to the treasury.’”
“The NNPCL ‘paid over USD$12 million [$12,444,313.22] to a contractor to buy and instal new diesel generation set at Mosimi Depot.’ But there is no evidence that the project has been fully executed ‘despite the fact that the contract specified that the project awarded in 2020 should be completed within 15 months.’”
“The NNPCL ‘irregularly paid over N145 million [N145,933,833.00] for a contract for the operation and maintenance of Electro-Mechanical Facilities in the NNPC Towers. The ‘contract was automatically renewed on yearly basis without creating room for a fresh contract where other consultants would be given an opportunity of being considered’. The Auditor-General wants the money accounted for.”
“The NNPCL ‘paid 13 contractors over N1 billion [N1,212,192,409.97] for various works between 2020 and 2021’, but ‘there is no evidence of any work done by the contractors as there were no supporting documents.’”
No date has been fixed for the hearing of the suit.
Guinness Nigeria Plc is focused on sustaining growth through wider product availability, commercial expansion and disciplined pricing.
Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Guinness Nigeria, Girish Sharma made the disclosure in an interview with CNBC Africa, in which he outlined the priorities expected to shape the company’s performance in the coming quarters.
According to Sharma, the company would keep focusing on making its products more accessible to consumers while strengthening its presence across markets and distribution channels.
“The strategy has always been growing by being available at more places, having our beer, having our products cold in a lot of places and ensuring that we are playing at the right price points,” he said.
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Sharma explained that the company’s approach was centred on expanding its reach rather than relying on price increases to drive growth.
He said Guinness Nigeria had increased the number of locations and cities in which its products were available, alongside growth in its distributor network.
He maintained that the company’s commercial expansion is part of a longer-term plan that will continue over the next three to five years.
“In terms of number of touch points where we’re available to the Guinness Nigeria products, number of cities where we’re available today, number of distributors that we have that distribute our products today, on every single count we have grown multi-fold,” Sharma said.
He described the expansion as a significant undertaking for the business, noting that the effort began with his first 100-day plan and remains a key part of the company’s direction.
Sharma also pointed to operational discipline and improvements made over the past year as important foundations for the business. He said earlier decisions to address the balance sheet, adjust pricing and make fundamental corrections were now supporting the company’s growth trajectory.
He added that teams across operations and procurement were working to keep price increases to a minimum while increasing output, while a more stable currency environment had also been helpful.
Looking ahead, Sharma said the company would focus on maintaining consistency rather than promising a particular growth rate for the next quarter.
“I’m not here to stand and say that we’re going to do better than the third quarter, but what I see is we will be consistent in terms of delivering healthy results,” he said. “Consistency is the word.”
He also highlighted the importance of the final quarter of the year to the beverage industry, citing increased consumer activity around the festive season. Guinness Nigeria, he said, had strategic partnerships planned across the period, with some extending into the first quarter of the following year.
Sharma said the company’s broader ambition was to build a stronger business capable of funding its growth, rewarding shareholders and sustaining performance over time.
“The business is sturdy, business is strong, business is good, and I’m confident that we will continue to grow sustainably,” he said.
His comments underline Guinness Nigeria’s focus on extending its market reach, strengthening execution and building consistency as it pursues its longer-term growth ambitions.
Nigeria must be surefooted to attract the right investment to harness her full potential in the oil and gas industry.
At the 32nd Nigerian Economic Summit (NES) during a panel session titled, “Unlocking Nigeria’s Oil Potential: The Push for More Oil”, in Abuja, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of NLNG, Adeleye Falade, decried the lack of certainties in the investment environment in Nigeria’s oil industry.
He traced Nigeria’s inability to attract sufficient financing for major oil and gas projects to uncertainties over investment terms, project execution and guaranteed markets for output.
According to Falade, investors and lenders must be confident that contractual agreements will be honoured, projects will deliver as planned and buyers will be available to purchase production before committing billions of dollars to capital-intensive energy developments.
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He cited the financing of NLNG’s Train 7 expansion as evidence that investment certainty, a proven delivery record and credible commercial agreements could unlock substantial funding, even under challenging global economic conditions.
Falade explained that projects requiring huge upfront capital and 20 to 30 years to recover investments depend on confidence that the terms underpinning them will remain stable throughout their lifespan.
According to him, lenders assess not just the quality of an oil or gas resource but also the durability of the investment framework, the predictability of future earnings and the capacity of project sponsors to meet their obligations.
Falade pointed to the $3 billion in external financing secured from 31 local and international financial institutions for Train 7 in 2020, at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, as proof of the importance of a credible investment proposition.
The project is being financed through a combination of internally generated cash flows and external funding, underpinned by NLNG’s record of developing six operating trains and repaying the loans used to finance their construction.
He said that track record gave lenders tangible evidence of the company’s capacity to execute complex projects and honour financial commitments, reducing the uncertainty that often discourages investment in capital-intensive developments.
He noted that each successful expansion strengthened NLNG’s credibility and positioned it to secure subsequent financing on more competitive terms.
He identified three fundamental questions that lenders seek answers to before financing major energy projects: “Who buys the product? Who carries the risk? Who stands behind the project?”
For NLNG, he said, long-term sales and purchase agreements, some spanning 20 years, provide the commercial foundation required to secure funding before a final investment decision is taken.
A call has gone to West African countries to adopt uniform fuel specifications, strengthen testing capacity, address infrastructure gaps and improve enforcement systems to facilitate more effective regional petroleum trade.
This formed the bulk of the submission of petroleum regulators at a panel session during the 20th OTL Africa Downstream Energy Week that ended in Lagos.
It is the considered opinion of the regulators that inconsistencies in standards across the region remain a huge disservice to fair competition. Therefore, they expressed a common view that putting in place an acceptable standard will ensure a harmonised fuel quality, improve infrastructure and stronger regulatory coordination which will facilitate cross-border trade and reduce market barriers across the region.
Speaking at the session themed: “Regulatory Convergence in African Oil and Gas Markets,” the Authority Chief Executive (ACE), Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), Rabiu Umar, argued that differences in fuel specifications across countries made it difficult to compare products and ensure fair competition.
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For instance, he explained that the disparity between diesel specifications of 50 parts per million (ppm) and 1,500 ppm, presents a complication in efforts to harmonise standards across the region.
To this end, the ACE said the sub regional countries needed common product specifications and coordinated production rules to facilitate trade and promote competition.
Umar also advocated the establishment of a West African reference price for petroleum products, saying regional markets needed to strengthen trade among African producers.
On his part, the Chief Executive Officer of Ghana’s National Petroleum Authority (NPA), Godwin Tameklo, said that inadequate infrastructure was a major constraint to regional petroleum trade.
According to him, countries needed to address infrastructure gaps, regulatory differences and market constraints to improve the cross-border movement of petroleum products.
For instance, he disclosed that Ghana’s port and storage facilities could not always accommodate volumes delivered by larger vessels, forcing operators to consider smaller shipments or alternative arrangements.
Tameklo also stressed the need for clear implementation timelines to ensure that regional harmonisation initiatives translated into practical results.
In a similar vein, the Director of Water, Petroleum and Electricity at The Gambia’s Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA), Musa Njie, highlighted the importance of laboratory facilities in testing petroleum product quality.
Njie identified the absence of a laboratory for petroleum product testing as one of the challenges facing The Gambia, and stressed the need to strengthen national quality assurance systems.
He said that harmonisation efforts should protect public health and the environment while improving market efficiency.
Njie also called for stronger coordination between regional frameworks and national regulatory institutions to ensure effective implementation of agreed standards.
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