THE Labour Party presidential candidate in the 2023 general election, Peter Obi, has decried the over N200 trillion unaccounted funds by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), saying it reaffirmed his position that the country has become a crime scene.

Obi lamented at this in a statement shared on his X handle on Friday, June 20.

“It is with the utmost sadness that I once again reaffirm what I have consistently said: Nigeria has become a crime scene,” he lamented.

The ICIR reported on Thursday, June 19, that the Senate Committee on Public Accounts, during an investigative session with a team from NNPCL, raised concern over the N200 trillion unaccounted funds in the audited financial statements between 2017 and 2023.

The committee had flagged the discrepancies, questioning the NNPCL over the absence of detailed records to justify massive legal and auditing fees, as well as contradictions in receivables said to be worth approximately N210 trillion.

“How else does one explain the recent revelation by the Senate, which uncovered the audited accounts of the NNPC from 2017 to 2023?

“The Senate uncovered ₦210 trillion in financial irregularities, ₦103 trillion in so-called “accrued expenses”, and another ₦107 trillion in unaccounted “receivables.” No documentation. No accountability. No consequences,” Obi lamented.

He stressed that this was not just another scandal but a clear and damning confirmation of a nation held hostage by monumental corruption.

The ICIR earlier reported that the over N200 trillion unaccounted funds were more than the country’s 10-year budget combined.

Concerning this, Obi highlighted that Nigeria’s national budget within the said period of 2017 to 2023 was as follows:

• 2017 ₦7.440 trillion.
• 2018 ₦9.120 trillion
• 2019 ₦8.916 trillion
• 2020 ₦10.590 was initially approved and in June revised to ₦9.974 trillion due to COVID
• 2021 ₦13.588 trillion.
• 2022 ₦17.130 trillion
• 2023 ₦21.830 trillion

This sums to over N87 trillion.

“Our total national budget within the said period was not up to 50% of the said financial discrepancies and irregularities.

“This is a criminal institutionalised betrayal of the Nigerian people and a grave threat to the future of the society our children will live in,” he maintained.

Obi, a former governor of Anambra State and a former banker, emphasised that no responsible nation can continue to function in this manner without confronting this truth.

“This criminality masquerading as governance must be stopped and dismantled for a better Nigeria,” he added.