Billions of dollars invested in the turnaround maintenance of Nigeria’s refineries are now at the heart of a sweeping corruption investigation led by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
So far, over N5 billion and $10 million have been clawed back from contractors and government officials linked to fraudulent practices in the Port Harcourt, Kaduna, and Warri refinery projects. Investigators say more recoveries, including N10 billion and $13 million, are underway.
EFCC sources disclosed that $1.55 billion was released for Port Harcourt refinery, $740 million for Kaduna, and $656 million for Warri. Despite these vast allocations, none of the refineries is delivering to national expectations.
“The discoveries showed that fraudulent dealings through over-invoicing, contract inflation and questionable payments were largely responsible for the malfunctioning of the refineries,” one insider explained.
The commission has interrogated several former refinery managers, while some current and retired executives of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) face imminent prosecution.
A source stated: “Investigations are already concluded on some officials of the NNPCL involved in the rehabilitation contracts and the commission is ready to file charges against them.”
The EFCC is also probing a fresh case of $40 million contract inflation tied to equipment procurement.
Though official comments were not provided by the commission’s spokesperson, other senior officials confirmed that Nigeria’s most significant anti-graft effort in the oil sector in recent years is advancing rapidly.