The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited is once again at the center of controversy following allegations that it awarded a ₦5.7 billion consultancy contract through a non-transparent and irregular process.
According to an ongoing investigation led by Yusuf El-Yakub, a respected investigative journalist based in Abuja, the contract was allegedly awarded using single-source procurement a method that bypasses competitive bidding and violates Nigeria’s Public Procurement Act.
El-Yakub disclosed that the NNPC did not issue a call for tenders, did not conduct any form of open bidding, and failed to carry out a transparent evaluation process. These omissions, he said, raise serious questions about accountability under the current leadership of the state-owned oil corporation.
“There was no advertisement, no expression of interest, and no competitive review of potential service providers,” El-Yakub noted. “The contract was finalized behind closed doors, in direct breach of standard procurement protocols.”
Insiders familiar with the deal claim that warnings were raised internally about the consultancy's lack of strategic relevance, absence of reform-focused deliverables, and the failure to justify the huge financial commitment. Yet, the process moved forward, allegedly driven by personal interests rather than national priorities.
Pattern of Wasteful Spending?
The exposé comes just days after revelations that several NNPC executives and board members chartered five private jets for a supposed corporate retreat in Kigali, Rwanda. The trip, which was publicly branded as a strategic session, has been criticized as a lavish political networking event with little to no value in terms of genuine reform.
“This is not reform it is institutionalized patronage,” El-Yakub asserted in his report. “Public funds are being diverted under the guise of strategic engagement, while accountability is completely sidelined.”
The Kigali trip and the secretive consultancy deal have sparked outrage among civil society groups and policy experts who argue that NNPC, under its newly commercialized structure, must not replicate the opaque and inefficient practices of the past.
Calls for Presidential Action
In light of these developments, El-Yakub has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to urgently suspend the controversial ₦5.7 billion contract and order a comprehensive investigation into the procurement process.
“We are dealing with the nation’s most critical economic asset. Nigerians deserve full transparency and strict adherence to due process in the management of NNPC,” he said.
So far, the NNPC has not issued an official statement in response to the allegations. However, public pressure is mounting, with many demanding that the presidency take decisive action to uphold the promises of reform and transparency made by the current administration.
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