Economy
FG auditors probe NNPCL’s N2.7tn subsidy refund claim
The Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation has received the necessary and complete documents required to verify the N2.7 trillion fuel subsidy claim by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited against the government, The PUNCH reports.
This is as the procurement department of the finance ministry obtained the terms of reference and the scope of work to guide the process of hiring the external firm to support the OAuGF.
Recall that in April 2024, the Federal Government commenced a fresh audit of the N2.8tn fuel subsidy claim by the NNPCL.
An audit firm, KPMG, had conducted an initial audit, reducing the claims from N6tn to N2.7tn.
The PUNCH had reported that the audit would span from 2015 to 2021.
On May 30, 2023, a few hours after the “subsidy is gone” declaration by President Bola Tinubu, NNPCL’s Group Chief Executive Officer, Mele Kyari, told State House correspondents that the Federal Government still owed the firm the sum of N2.8tn spent on petrol subsidy.
While saying the NNPC footed petrol subsidy bills from its cash flow, Kyari said the government had so far been unable to pay back the N2.8tn.
He said, “Since the provision of the N6tn in 2022 and N3.7tn in 2023, we have not received any payment from the Federation.
“That means they (the Federal Government) are unable to pay and we’ve continued to support this subsidy from the cash flow of the NNPC. We are waiting for them to settle up to N2.8tn of NNPC’s cash flow from the subsidy regime and we can’t continue to build this.”
Providing an update in the minutes of the Federal Allocation Accounts Committee meeting for September 2024, the Director of Home Finance, Ali Mohammed, said the exercise would be judiciously carried out.
A section of the minutes with the heading ‘Update on the Forensic Audit Covering the Period 2015 to 2022 to Authenticate NNPC/Federation Claims in Respect of N2.7tn withheld by NNPC Limited’, stated that documents had been provided to conduct the task.
The minutes read, “The Director, Home Finance reported that the Office of the Auditor-General for the Federation was provided with the documents requested for conducting the assignment.
“He also reported that the Procurement Department of the Ministry had been given the Terms of Reference and the Scope of work to guide the process of hiring the External Firm that would support OAuGF in conducting the assignment.
“Contributing, the Chairman disclosed that he had engaged with the Auditor-General for the Federation on the matter, and there was a commitment by the OAuGF to diligently conduct the assignment with the support of the External Audit Firm as proposed. He assured that the Ministry will continue to follow up with OAuGF to ensure the successful conduct of the assignment.”
The director further asked that the topic be expunged from its discussions pending any future update.
“Based on that, he suggested and the meeting agreed that the matter be temporarily removed from the Matters Arising pending any future update,” he stated.
Experts monitoring the situation had expressed concerns about the probe following the exit of the former NNPCL CFO, Ajiya Umar, but the NNPCL spokesperson, Femi Soneye, dismissed the notion, stressing that the process is ongoing.
Soneye in a chat with our correspondent on Monday, said, “I can confirm that reconciliation is currently ongoing with the relevant government agencies and auditors. Once the process is completed, the public will be informed appropriately.”
Meanwhile, revenue-generating agencies have refunded a total sum of N1.19tn as arrears reconciled to the federation account in the first seven months of 2024.
This followed the reconciliation of unresolved revenue disbursement into the federation account.
The FAAC, in its meeting minutes, said, “The cumulative outstanding arrears reconciled and paid to the Federation Account from January to July 2024 stood at N1,190,686,027,547.39.
For July, the committee reported that $214.32m, equivalent to N289.01bn, was repaid to the CBN-designated account.
“For the Month of July 2024 Federation Account, the PMSC would like to inform the Plenary that as a result of reconciliation with Revenue Generating Agencies, a total sum of $214,322,512 equivalent to N289.01bn was reconciled and confirmed paid to the CBN designated accounts,” It noted.
The document further stated that “The total unresolved amount due to the Federation Account from the reconciliation meeting held with the Revenue Generating Agencies in September 2024 was $273,701,370.86 N3.65tn.
The agencies are NNPCL, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, and the Federal Inland Revenue Service.
“Members should note that these outstanding amounts are still being reconciled at the monthly reconciliation meetings between the Agencies and the Sub-Committee. Furthermore, the sum of $180,230,895 and N2.54tn outstanding payments from the Revenue Generating Agencies before June 2023 was referred to the Stakeholders Alignment Committee, and the Sub-Committee awaits the outcome of the reconciliation soonest.
“The Sub-Committee is working with the Revenue Generating Agencies to ensure that the above outstanding amounts are paid to the Federation Account as soon as possible.”
Commenting on the issue, an energy expert, Prof Wumi Iledare, queried why the NNPCL allowed such an amount to linger with the government.
He further noted that the audit should be extended to the amount collected by the national oil firm on behalf of the government.
Similarly, a Professor of Energy at the University of Lagos, Dayo Ayoade, noted that the relationship between the government and the national oil firm has always been shrouded in secrecy, making it difficult to ascertain transparency issues.
The Nigerian naira depreciated slightly against the United States (US) dollar, trading at N1,343.6398 per dollar at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) official foreign exchange window on Friday, 17th April, 2026.
According to the data on the CBN’s official platform, the naira traded at the Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market (NFEM) rate of N1,343.6398/$per dollar and closed at N1,342.5000 per dollar.
When compared with the previous trading rate, the Nigerian currency traded at N1342.3037 on 16th April, 2026. With this, the Nigerian currency depreciated slightly by a minimum of N1.3.
At the parallel market, the naira-to-dollar exchange rate for the buying rate didn’t change while the selling rate increased by N3 when compared to that of the previous trading rate.
According to Aboki FX , the Naira-to-dollar exchange rate at the black market on Friday, 17th April, 2026, was N1,395 and N1,405 per dollar for buying and selling rate respectively.
The Central Bank of Nigeria on Friday unveiled the Nigerian Overnight Financing Rate (NOFR) as a new benchmark for the country’s money market, a move aimed at boosting transparency and improving the effectiveness of monetary policy.
The announcement was made in a statement by the bank’s Acting Director of Corporate Communications, Hakama Sidi-Ali, who noted that the initiative was developed in partnership with the Financial Markets Dealers Association to strengthen Nigeria’s financial system.
According to the apex bank, the new benchmark is designed to bring Nigeria in line with global standards for short-term interest rates, while enhancing price discovery and ensuring more consistent pricing across money market instruments.
The CBN explained that NOFR is expected to improve monetary policy transmission, encourage financial innovation, and boost investor confidence, while also reinforcing risk management practices within the financial system.
With the introduction of NOFR, Nigeria joins other economies that use similar benchmarks, such as SOFR in the United States, SONIA in the United Kingdom, €STR in the Eurozone, TONA in Japan, and JIBAR in South Africa.
The bank disclosed that the rate followed a stakeholder engagement held on February 27, 2026, where market participants adopted the framework before receiving regulatory approval. NOFR is now operational, with the CBN serving as its administrator and responsible for ensuring transparency, governance, and regular publication.
Further details provided in an FAQ document show that NOFR is a risk-free benchmark reflecting the cost of overnight secured lending in the interbank market. Unlike estimates, it is based strictly on actual transactions, improving accuracy and credibility.
The rate is published daily at 10:00 a.m. on the next business day and applies only to naira-denominated overnight secured interbank transactions that meet specified criteria. It is calculated using a volume-weighted trimmed mean approach to remove outliers and ensure reliability.
Where there is insufficient transaction data, the previous day’s rate will be retained and clearly disclosed to maintain consistency.
The CBN clarified that NOFR is not a replacement for key monetary policy tools such as the Monetary Policy Rate but will serve as a reference for pricing financial instruments, contracts, and some corporate loans.
For investors, the benchmark is expected to improve valuation, pricing, and risk management of naira assets, thereby deepening activity in the domestic money market.
While retail customers may not see immediate changes in loan or savings rates, the bank noted that increased transparency from the new system should strengthen overall confidence in Nigeria’s financial sector.
On governance, the CBN stated that any adjustments to the rate would only occur in cases of significant errors and would be fully disclosed, adding that the methodology will be reviewed at least once a year to keep it aligned with market realities.
The Nigerian equities market sustained its bullish momentum on Thursday, delivering a fresh massive gains of N1.663 trillion to investors as market capitalization surged beyond the N136 trillion mark.
At the close of trading, total market value rose by 1.23 percent to N136.435 trillion, up from N134.772 trillion recorded at the start of the session.
In the same vein, the All-Share Index (ASI) advanced by 2,583.61 points, representing a 1.23 percent increase, to settle at 211,901.02, compared to 209,317.41 in the previous trading day.
The market’s Year-To-Date (YTD) return strengthened further to 36.17 percent, while sentiment remained positive as 45 stocks posted gains against 20 decliners.
Leading the gainers’ table were Trans-Nationwide Express and Guinea Insurance, both appreciating by 10 per cent to close at N5.50 and N1.21 per share, respectively. Aradel rose by 9.99 percent to N1,547.50; Ecobank Transnational gained 9.97 percent to close at N61.20, while Daar Communications climbed 9.93 percent to N1.66 per share.
On the losers’ side, Ikeja Hotel topped the chart with a 9.73 per cent decline to N33.40. WAPIC followed with an 8.77 per cent drop to N2.60, while CAP shed 8.61 per cent to close at N95 per share. International Energy Insurance and McNichols also recorded losses of 8.18 per cent and 5.82 per cent, respectively.
Trading activity, however, slowed during the session. Total volume traded declined by 17.19 percent to 584.96 million shares valued at N34.76 billion across 45,559 deals.
Zenith Bank emerged as the most actively traded stock, accounting for 61.74 million shares worth N7.60 billion, representing 10.55 per cent and 21.86 per cent of total volume and value, respectively.
The latest performance extends the market’s winning streak to four consecutive sessions, following a strong N2.28 trillion gain recorded on Wednesday.
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