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Reps query NUPRC over N120 billion expenditure on personnel, overhead
The House of Representatives joint Committees on Finance and National Planning have frowned at the huge expenditure of over N120 billion by Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) on personnel and overhead cost annually.
Speaking during an interactive session with key agencies on the 2025-2027 Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and Fiscal Strategy Paper (FSP), Chairman of the House Committee on Finance, James Abiodun Faleke (APC, Lagos) directed the agency to provide details of oil production, crude sales and other activities in the Upstream Petroleum Industry in the country.
NUPRC Executive Commissioner Economic Regulation & Strategic Planning (ECR&SP), Babajide Oluwole Fasina who represented the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the organisation, Gbenga Olu Komolafe had presented the revenue and expenditure before the committee.
Responding to the presentation, Faleke said “I’m wondering what type of organization you have.You are paying 88 billion as salaries. How many staff do you have? How many staff do you have?
“National Assembly, before the review, they give us N150 billion for our expenditure every year and that is shared between the Senate, House of Representatives, management and everybody.
“So only your agency is spending N88 billion. That’s why you have so much. So much money because of 4% cost of collection. 4% is too much. We need money…you are spending N88 billion on personnel, and you are spending over N40 billion on overhead.”
Despite trying to justify the figure, the Committee rejected the NUPRC’s explanation and demanded comprehensive records from the Commission as regards its revenues, expenditure and all other activities including exploration activities of Frontier Explorations’ at various Frontier Basins in the country where oil prospecting activities are taking place.
“You are going to come back with all the records of all the wells that produce the oil litre by litre per day. How much oil do we get from here every day,” Faleke asked rhetorically.
The lawmaker further said: “You are going to come back with records of shipments of crude either daily or weekly at what rate. You are going to come back with proposals of 2025 as to the expectations of two million five barrels per day, 2.06 million per day.
“And you reach out to the Frontier or whatever you called them. You come together with them and must come with the records of all Frontier activities, expenses incurred, crude oil realized from there and of course the sales proceeds and add what the Frontiers are doing. The day they started and how far they have gone. You must come here with them on the 18th. We expect you here on the 18th by 11am.”
Earlier in his presentation, Fasina informed the Committee that NUPRC derives its revenues from oil royalty, gas royalty, concession rental, gas flat penalty, miscellaneous oil revenues which include fines and levies, signature bonus and renewal of licenses.
Giving a highlight of the revenue collections, he said the NUPRC gets 4% Cost of Revenue Collection for the total revenue collected on behalf of the federal government which he said were credited directly to the Federation Account and while FAAC credits the 4% to the Commission.
He said, “The Cost Of Revenue Collection amounted to N114.84 billion in 2023 as against N114.38 billion in 2022. The amount released in 2023 includes N2.82 billion for Capital Expenditure, though N173.77 billion was due as 4% on the Actual Collections of N14.34 Trillion in 2023.
“The Commission also generates revenues internally such as, Registration Fees, Licence Fees, Fines, Recoveries, etc. It generated N1.44 billion in 2023 compared to N30.08 billion in 2022, and this accounts for 1.26% of the total Revenue realized in 2023 and 2.62% in 2022 respectively.
Fasina, however, informed the Committee that the Commission recorded a high expenditure in 2023 compared to 2022 by N11.46 billion which he said was an increase of 10.83%.
He added, “Personnel Cost which has the largest share amounting to N82.35 billion represents 70.19% of the total expenses of N117.33 billion, followed by Overhead Costs of N31.63 billion which accounts for 26.96 billion”.
The NUPRC Executive Commissioner however informed that, the Commission’s non-tax remittance dropped from N3.67 billion in 2022 to N1.77 billion in 2023 and an Amortisation and Depreciation of N246.66 million and N1.33 billion respectively.
Also, the Committee directed the Nigeria Bulk Electricity Trading to provide details of its budget performance and other activities in the electricity market.
The agency has in its submission informed the Committee about the ‘reason for disparity between Generation Companies (Gencos) invoices and amount invoices to Distribution Companies (DisCos).
The agency’s documents stated, “NBET invoices DisCos before receiving and verifying GenCo invoices as required by the settlement Calendar. This timing difference means that components such as interest and True-Up, which are included in GenCo invoices cannot be reflected in the invoices sent to DisCos, Consequently, the mismatch in timing leads to discrepancies in the amounts invoices.
“Apart from the DisCos, other off-takers such as Ajaokuta Steel Company and Net Importer Generation Companies are included in the invoicing process. The inclusion of these off-takers introduces further complexities that contribute to the disparity between actual invoices and the amounts invoices to DisCos.
“The supplementary order under the Transitional Electricity Market (TEM) framework mandates the use of specific tariff for invoicing Net Importer GenCos. These tariff requirements create additional differences between the amounts invoiced to GenCos and those passed on to DisCos.”
A United States lawmaker has accused Nigeria’s Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, of attempting to bribe a U.S. official in a bid to suppress a report alleging genocide against Christians in Nigeria.
Kimberly Daniels, a Democratic member of the Florida House of Representatives, made the allegation in a video posted on her official Facebook account on Monday. The video has since gained traction online, sparking debate across political and diplomatic circles.
In the video, Daniels claimed that the alleged bribe was intended to influence the narrative surrounding a report by the United World Congress of Diplomats (UN-WCD), which accused Nigerian authorities of failing to address what it described as targeted killings of Christians in parts of the country.
“A U.S. elected official was offered money by Nigeria’s Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, to change the narrative of the UN-WCD Christian genocide in Nigeria report,” Daniels said.
The lawmaker, who also serves as chairperson of the UN-WCD, maintained that she would not be intimidated or silenced, insisting that the issue of violence against Christians in Nigeria must be addressed transparently.
Daniels had earlier called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to remove Matawalle from office, alleging his complicity in violent incidents reported in states such as Plateau, Benue, and Kaduna.
As of the time of filing this report, Matawalle has not publicly responded to the allegations. The Nigerian government has also not issued an official statement addressing the claims.
The development adds a new dimension to ongoing international scrutiny over security challenges in Nigeria, particularly concerning communal and sectarian violence in parts of the country.
. Court order a death knell for the financial nerves of drug cartels, says Marwa
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) has secured another significant win in its ongoing offensive against drug cartels as the Federal High Court, Port Harcourt, granted an interim forfeiture order for 17 containers laden with illicit opioids worth over N33.6 billion in street value.
The containers, which were intercepted at the Port Harcourt Ports Complex in Onne, Rivers State, on 4th September; 14th August; 13th August; 29th July; 13th June; 30th May; 29th May; 28th May; 20th May; 19th May; 14th May and 29th April, all in 2025, contain a staggering haul of Nineteen Million Six Hundred Thousand (19,600,000) pills of Tramadol, Tafrodol, Tapentadol and Carisoprodol, as well as Two Million Four Hundred and Ninety Six Thousand Four Hundred (2,496,400) bottles of Codeine Syrup. The combined street value of the seizures is estimated at Thirty-Three Billion, Six Hundred and Ninety-One Million, Two Hundred Thousand Naira (N33,691,200,000).
The forfeiture order was issued by Justice Adamu Turaki Mohammed of the Federal High Court, Port Harcourt, following a motion exparte filed by the NDLEA on 10th February 2026 in suit number FHC/PH/MISC/25/2026.
Ruling on the application, Justice Adamu said “An order is hereby made forfeiting in the interim to the Federal Government of Nigeria seventeen (17) shipping containers containing a total, of three hundred and sixty-five thousand, six hundred and seventy-five (365,657kg) of various types of psychotropic substances, as well as other items as stated in the schedule to this application, illegally imported into Nigeria through the Onne Sea Port, Onne, Eleme, Rivers State by unknown persons.”
He further ruled that “An order is hereby made vesting custody and possession of the said containers and their respective contents to the Applicant/Complainant untiI the final determination of this Suit.”
Reacting to the court’s order, the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of NDLEA, Brig. Gen. Mohamed Buba Marwa (Rtd) described the forfeiture as a death knell for the financial nerves of the criminal syndicates involved.
According to him, this is not just a seizure, it is a total dispossession of the resources the drug cartels intended to use in destroying the lives of our youths and funding further criminality.
By stripping the criminal syndicates of assets worth over N33.6 billion, we have struck at the heart of their operations. This sends a clear message: the Nigerian state will not allow the proceeds of death to circulate to fund terrorism and other forms of criminality in our country.”
While commending the Nigerian Judiciary for its steadfast support and timely intervention in granting the interim forfeiture, Marwa noted that the partnership between the temple of justice and the agency is critical to winning the war against substance abuse and illicit drug trafficking.
He further lauded the officers, men and women of NDLEA, particularly those attached to the Onne Port Command, for their vigilance, professional integrity, and eagle-eyed scrutiny that led to the discovery of the concealed drugs. The NDLEA Chairman also acknowledged the vital role played by sister security agencies including the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and other port stakeholders whose cooperation ensured a seamless interdiction process.
He also commended international partners for their continued intelligence sharing and technical support which remains a cornerstone of the agency’s success, adding that the Agency remains resolute in its mission to dismantle drug networks across the country.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has sought partnership with the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on security, economy, green city development and other areas of mutual benefits.
The Saudi Arabian Ambassador to Nigeria, Yousef bin Mohammed Al-Balawi, sought the partnership when he visited the FCT Minister, Mr Nyesom Wike, in Abuja on Tuesday.
Al-Balawi commended Wike and President Bola Tinubu administration for building what he described as “beautiful green city”.
The ambassador said he looks forward to strengthening relationships with the FCT Administration and exchange experience on developing a green city.
He also stressed the need to strengthen the relationship between the FCT and Riyadh, the capital city of Saudi Arabia and other big cities in the country.
Responding, Wike noted the robust relationship between Saudi Arabia and Nigeria, adding that the FCT would leverage on the relationship for the benefit of the territory.
“We will be happy and willing to visit Riyadh and other cities in Saudi Arabia to find areas of common interest and collaborate for mutual benefits.
“Saudi Arabia is a very important state in the Gulf Region with a very rich history and robust relationship with Nigeria.
“We will want to capitalise on the good relationship with Nigeria to see how Riyadh and FCT will cooperate and learn from each other.
The Minister commended Al-Balawi for the accolade on the ongoing transformation in the FCT, attributing the development to Tinubu’s political will.
He explained the Tinubu administration has transformed the FCT to a modern city that could compete with any city in the world.
“We have not gotten to where we want to be yet, but the Tinubu administration is committed and has what it takes to take the capital city to the global stage,” Wike said.
US Lawmaker Accuses Tinubu’s Minister Of Bribery To Cover Up Genocide Report
NDLEA secures forfeiture of N33.6 billion worth of opioids intercepted at Onne Port(Photos)
Saudi Arabia seeks partnership with FCT on green city, security, economy
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