Business
NNPC ‘Non-cooperation’ Stalls $18bn Refinery Probe — Reps
The Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream), Ikenga Ugochinyere, has blamed the alleged non-cooperation of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) for the delay in concluding the National Assemly’s probe on the about $18bn reportedly spent on the rehabilitation of the country’s four state-owned refineries.
Ugochinyere said the House would take decisive action against the NNPC after the passage of the 2026 budget.
Recall that in October 2025, the House mandated its committees on Petroleum Resources (Upstream and Downstream), Gas Resources and Public Assets to investigate funds spent on the rehabilitation of the refineries located in Port Harcourt (two facilities), Kaduna (one) and Warri (one).
The lawmakers launched the investigation after adopting a motion sponsored by the member representing Badagry Federal Constituency, Lagos State, Sesi Whingan, who raised concerns that despite the huge sums reportedly committed to the facilities over the years, they had remained largely non-functional.
Whingan, while presenting the motion on the floor of the House, drew attention to widespread concerns about the effectiveness of the Turnaround Maintenance (TAM) carried out on the refineries over the years.
According to the lawmaker, despite repeated budgetary allocations for the maintenance and rehabilitation of the facilities, there has been little evidence of meaningful progress in restoring them to full operational capacity.
He cited claims by billionaire businessman, Aliko Dangote, who had publicly stated that about $18bn had been spent on efforts to rehabilitate the country’s refineries.
The Lagos lawmaker was quoted as saying, “Despite consistent annual budgetary allocations over the years, there is no verifiable evidence of substantial rehabilitation outcomes, representing a gross misuse of public funds and a betrayal of public trust.”
Whingan also pledged that the House would not hesitate to recommend sanctions where wrongdoing is established.
Although the committees were given four weeks to submit their report to the House for further legislative action, the probe has yet to be concluded months later.
Speaking in an interview with journalists,
Ugochinyere attributed the delay to the alleged lack of cooperation from the NNPC.
“The NNPC has not been cooperating with the investigation. After the budget passage, we will take a position,” he said.
Efforts to get the comments of the other three committees were unsuccessful as of the time of filing this report.