A new investigative report by People’s Gazette has made a troubling allegation against the Office of the Chief of Staff to the President. According to the report, an internal memo was used to justify setting aside about ₦54 billion from the Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), relying on a provision of the Petroleum Industry Act that the newspaper argues does not support such a directive.
The Presidency has responded that the action was taken on the authority of President Bola Tinubu, but it has not directly addressed the report’s claim that the cited legal provision does not authorize the remittance.
This is no longer about personalities. It is about the rule of law.
If the report is inaccurate, then the Presidency owes Nigerians a detailed explanation. It should publish the legal basis for the directive and demonstrate that every kobo involved was handled in accordance with the law.
But if the report is accurate, then the implications are profound. No public official, no matter how highly placed, should be able to rely on a legal provision that does not exist or one that has been wrongly interpreted to justify the movement of public funds.
Public money is not personal money.
The Petroleum Industry Act clearly establishes how the NUPRC’s funds are to be managed. If there is another law, regulation, appropriation, or presidential power that authorizes this ₦54 billion arrangement, Nigerians deserve to see it. If there isn’t, then this matter cannot simply be dismissed with political talking points.
The Presidency’s defence appears to be that the President approved the directive. That response raises an even more important constitutional question: can presidential approval override the procedures established by an Act of the National Assembly? That is a legal question that deserves a legal answer, not a political one.
In a democracy, transparency should never be optional. When allegations involve tens of billions of naira belonging to the Nigerian people, silence, deflection, or appeals to authority are not enough.
This administration has repeatedly promised accountability and respect for the rule of law. This is an opportunity to demonstrate that those promises apply equally to everyone in government, regardless of office or influence.
Nigerians should not rush to convict anyone based on a newspaper report alone. But neither should they dismiss serious documentary allegations simply because they involve powerful officials.
The answer is simple: publish the facts, disclose the legal authority relied upon, and let Nigerians judge for themselves.
That is how accountable government works.
