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Nigeria’s anti-graft agency has launched an investigation into several former senior officials of the country’s national oil company, following their recent dismissal over allegations of money laundering and financial misconduct.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has formally requested the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) to hand over financial records related to 14 current and former executives, including the ex-CEO Mele Kyari. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu removed Kyari and the entire board of the state oil firm in early April.
In a letter dated April 28, the EFCC stated: “The Commission is investigating a case of Abuse of Office and Misappropriation of Funds in which the under-listed officials of your organisation featured.”
Among those named in the investigation are former managing director Abubakar Yar’Adua, Ibrahim Onoja and Mustafa Sugungun — who previously held top posts at the Port Harcourt and Kaduna refineries — and former chief financial officer Umar Ajiya.
The NNPC has long been dogged by accusations of corruption, political interference, and inefficiency, despite being a central pillar of Africa’s largest oil-producing economy.
Nigeria’s oil output has declined sharply in recent years, dropping to under one million barrels per day by 2023. This falls significantly short of the government’s goal of ramping up production to two million barrels per day by 2027.
The state-run oil company is expected to contribute at least 10 percent of Nigeria’s daily oil output by the end of that period, making the clean-up of its leadership and operations a key priority for the Tinubu administration.
