Forum Rejects Claims of N210tn Missing from NNPCL Accounts

The Accountability and Solidarity Forum (ASF) has dismissed allegations that N210 trillion is missing from the accounts of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL). ASF's national coordinator, Usman Hamza, described the claim as mathematically impossible and politically motivated, responding to comments made by the chairman of the Senate Public Accounts Committee, Ahm Wadada.

Hamza argued that the figure presented by Wadada was misleading and did not align with Nigeria's fiscal reality, noting that the entire 2024 national budget is N28.7 trillion, suggesting that a single entity could not lose nearly eight times that amount. The forum condemned the Senate's threat of arrest against former NNPCL officials, including former Chief Financial Officer Umar Ajiya, calling it a coordinated campaign of political blackmail.

ASF emphasized the need for sober forensic reviews of financial records rather than sensational claims, warning that the Senate's actions could harm Nigeria's reputation with international investors.