A new lawsuit targeting systemic financial discrepancies at the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has cast a stark light on the enduring culture of opacity within the nation’s oil sector, creating an ironic parallel to the ongoing London trial of former minister Diezani Alison-Madueke. While Alison-Madueke faces intense international scrutiny over decade-old allegations, the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) is suing the current NNPCL for its “failure to account” for a staggering N22.3 billion, $49.7 million, £14.3 million, and €5.2 million, as detailed in the official 2022 audited report.
The lawsuit, filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja, catalogs a breathtaking array of allegedly unsubstantiated expenditures from 2020 to 2022. These include £14.3 million spent on London office repairs with “no evidence” of the work, over N3 billion paid for services with “no documents or trace,” and $12.4 million for a diesel generator project with no proof of completion. SERAP argues this reflects a “grave violation of the public trust” that traps Nigerians in poverty and forces the government into deficit spending. The group seeks a court order to compel the NNPCL to fully disclose all transactions and recover the funds.
This contemporary case of missing billions and absent documentation resonates strikingly with a core pillar of Alison-Madueke’s defense in her London bribery trial. Her legal team has consistently argued that her ability to mount a defense is “severely hamper[ed]” because critical documentary evidence has “disappeared” from her former offices in Abuja. They contend that the lack of these records, which might show reimbursements for expenses, makes a fair trial impossible. This claim paints a picture of an institutional environment where proper record-keeping is not just lax but politically vulnerable, a context her defense urges the London jury to consider.
Furthermore, the SERAP action underscores a persistent “accountability gap” within Nigeria’s most vital economic sector—a theme central to the commentary surrounding the Alison-Madueke trial. The defence has pointedly questioned why her case is being prosecuted in London when none of the businessmen alleged to have paid bribes have been charged there, and key figures like former PPMC managing director Prince Haruna Momoh are absent from the dock. This creates a perception of selective justice, where a former minister is pursued abroad while an entrenched system of unaccountability, as alleged by SERAP, continues to operate domestically with what critics call impunity.
Thus, the SERAP lawsuit and the Alison-Madueke trial are two facets of the same profound crisis: the struggle for transparency and consistent accountability in Nigeria’s oil governance. One case involves a former official facing foreign prosecution for historical allegations, with a defense built on claims of missing evidence and a flawed process. The other highlights that the very institutions she once oversaw are now, years later, being sued for almost identical failures—an inability to account for vast sums of money. Together, they present a sobering narrative of a sector where comprehensive reform and consistent domestic legal enforcement remain elusive, leaving the Nigerian public to bear the ultimate economic cost.
