A Peoples Gazette investigation has revealed that President Tinubu’s Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila allegedly used a misquoted provision of the Petroleum Industry Act to claim N54 billion — representing 1.5 per cent of the Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission’s cost of collection — while the actual law assigns such appropriation authority exclusively to the National Assembly.
Nigeria’s most powerful presidential aide allegedly cited a law that says no such thing — and walked away with N54 billion.
A Peoples Gazette investigation has revealed that Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila drafted a July 4, 2023, memo directing the Budget Office and Accountant General of the Federation to ring-fence 1.5 per cent of the Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission’s (NUPRC) cost of collection — amounting to approximately N54 billion — citing Section 24(2)(c) of the Petroleum Industry Act 2023 as his authority.
The Gazette’s checks found that the cited section reads simply: “The source of the commission Fund shall be as follows — (c) cost of collection by the commission.” It contains no language authorising anyone to claim tens of billions from the NUPRC’s revenue.
More damning still, Section 24(1) of the same PIA explicitly assigns expenditure appropriation authority to the National Assembly — not the president, and certainly not the chief of staff.
“Gbajabiamila did not commandeer any money,” Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga told The Gazette, insisting the presidential order was “within the right of Mr President as president and C-in-C.” The Presidency notably declined to address the falseness of the cited legal provision.
The NUPRC’s cost of collection stood at N98 billion in 2022 before rising significantly to N145 billion following Tinubu’s foreign exchange unification — making the 1.5 per cent claim considerably more valuable than when first proposed.
The oil revenue allegation arrives as Gbajabiamila battles simultaneous scandals: a N400 million bribery accusation from PFIPC’s Adeniyi Adeyemi, who claims the Chief of Staff demanded 48 per cent of a N27.7 billion agency grant; and his previously reported disbarment by the State Bar of Georgia in the United States following findings of client fund theft and ethical violations.
President Tinubu has ordered a 30-day investigation into the corruption allegations, promising prosecution of anyone found culpable.
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