Another Scandal as Tinubu’s Minister Is Accused of Plot to Increase Agency Budget by N30bn

• Heineken Lokpobiri, President Bola Tinubu’s minister of state for petroleum, has been accused of moving to pad the budget of the NCDMB by N30bn
• Simbi Wabote, the immediate past executive secretary of the NCDMB, made the allegation against the minister in a statement
• In his response, the minister said the former NCDMB boss was suffering from being removed from office, where he had spent seven years

Yenagoa, Bayelsa – President Bola Tinubu’s minister of state for petroleum resources (oil), Heineken Lokpobiri, has been accused of inflating the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) allocation in the 2024 budget.

Simbi Wabote, the immediate past executive secretary of the NCDMB, made the allegation in a statement sent to TheTalk.NG, noting that the minister mounted pressure on him to increase his office’s budget by N30 billion in December 2023.

Tinubu’s minister in budget padding scandal
Photo Credit: Bola Ahmed TinubuSource: Twitter

Details of Tinubu’s minister accused of padding budget

Wabote made the allegation in a statement sent to TheTalk.NG on Tuesday, April 23, denying the minister’s earlier allegation that he wasted $500 million in investments and loans at the local content board.

In his response, the minister accused the former NCDMB boss of still being pained over his replacement, even after spending seven years on the board.

According to This Day, Lokpobiri’s special adviser on media and communication, Nneamaka Okafor, replied to Wabote in a statement, describing his response as a case of “when you fight corruption, corruption will fight back.”

Tinubu’s minister denies padding agency’s budget

While responding to questions at the recently held Petroleum Club’s Dinner in Lagos, Lokpobiri alleged that Wabote made a bad investment decision while seeing the affairs of the NCDMB.

The minister said over $500 million in loans and equity invested in private companies was wasted under Wabote’s watch.

According to the minister, NCDMB invested more than $190 million in private projects in the oil and gas sector, including the Brass Fertiliser Plant and the Atlantic Refinery, all in Bayelsa state. He said the projects were wasted because there was no construction on the two sites.

Lokpobiri also accused Wabote of disbursing the funds meant for the projects without following due process.

Source: TheTalk.NG

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