SERAP sues NNPCL for not accounting for ₦5.9 billion rebranding cost.

The Socio‑Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has filed a lawsuit against the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) over its alleged failure to account for approximately ₦5.9 billion reportedly spent on the incorporation, transition, and rebranding of the NNPC into NNPCL.

The NNPC is said to have paid ₦2.9 billion for incorporation expenses from petroleum product proceeds, while the National Petroleum Investment Management Services (NAPIMS) charged an additional ₦2.9 billion to crude oil revenue for the same purpose, bringing the total rebranding cost to ₦5.9 billion.

In suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/1248/2026, filed last week at the Federal High Court in Abuja, SERAP seeks a mandamus order directing and compelling the NNPCL to account for the ₦5.9 billion allegedly spent on the rebranding.

SERAP requests that the court compel the NNPCL to provide a comprehensive reconciliation statement detailing the specific financial transactions related to the ₦5.9 billion expenditure, including the identities of contractors involved and how the funds were used for the rebranding.

The organization also asks the court to require the NNPCL to disclose the names and official positions of the government officials who authorized and approved the release and expenditure of the ₦5.9 billion, and to clarify whether the expenditure complied with applicable procurement laws and due‑process requirements.

According to SERAP, “there is a legitimate public interest in the disclosure of the details sought. The NNPCL has a legal responsibility to explain whether the ₦5.9 billion expenditure represents value for money, constitutes lawful spending of public funds, and complies with applicable due‑process requirements.”

“There ought to be full transparency and accountability regarding the reported ₦5.9 billion spent on rebranding. Nigerians have the right to know who approved the expenditure, who received the funds, the nature of the services rendered, and whether due process and procurement requirements were strictly followed,” the group added.

“The disclosure of the identities of the officials involved and the processes followed in approving the expenditure would enable the public to assess whether the expenditure was properly authorized, represented value for money, and was undertaken in accordance with due process and procurement requirements,” SERAP said.

“Given the size of the reported expenditure and the importance of transparency in the management of public resources within the petroleum sector, there is an urgent need for a prompt, thorough, and transparent disclosure of the details surrounding the spending of the funds,” the organization added.

The suit, filed on behalf of SERAP by its lawyers Oluwakemi Agunbiade, Kehinde Oyewumi, and Andrew Nwankwo, states that “the alleged spending of the ₦5.9 billion suggests a grave violation of the public trust and the provisions of the Nigerian Constitution 1999 [as amended], national anticorruption laws, and the country’s international anticorruption obligations.”

“The failure to account for the spending of the ₦5.9 billion on rebranding from NNPC to NNPCL reflects a failure of NNPCL accountability more generally and is directly linked to the institution’s continuing failure to uphold transparency and accountability principles,” the lawyers argue.

“The refusal or failure of the NNPCL to provide a detailed account of the expenditure undermines the right of access to information concerning the management of public resources,” they added.

“Senate Committee on Public Accounts reportedly raised serious concerns regarding the expenditure of the ₦5.9 billion described as incorporation and transition expenses allegedly incurred during the process of transforming the NNPC into the NNPCL,” the complaint states.

“The Committee described the spending of the ₦5.9 billion as excessive, unjustifiable, and deserving of further explanation, investigation, and legislative scrutiny in the public interest,” it says.

“The transformation of the national oil company from the NNPC into the NNPCL occurred following the enactment of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021, which required the corporation to become a commercially oriented limited liability company fully owned by the federal government,” the suit notes.

“Section 13 of the Nigerian Constitution 1999 [as amended] requires all public institutions, including the NNPCL, to conform to and apply the provisions of Chapter II of the Constitution, while Section 15(5) mandates the public institutions to abolish all corrupt practices and abuse of power,” it adds.

“Similarly, Section 16 of the Constitution requires the public institutions to ensure that the material resources of the nation are harnessed and distributed as best as possible to serve the common good,” the complaint states.

“Articles 5 and 9 of the UN Convention against Corruption require Nigeria to ensure transparency and proper management of public funds,” it says.

“Article 21 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights recognizes the right of peoples to freely dispose of their natural resources and provides that the misappropriation of such resources shall give rise to the right of the people to recovery and compensation,” the suit notes.

No date has been fixed for the hearing of the suit.

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