The Network for Oil Sector Transparency and Reform (NOSTR) has asked the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, to resign over the alleged misappropriation of funds or face mass protests at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

In a statement signed by its President, Ambassador Charles Abakpa, the group said unauthorized payments were made into a private consulting firm, S.B. Capital Partners & Advisory Limited, describing it as “a betrayal of public trust.”

According to the group, Ogbe reportedly approved payments totalling over $4.7 million to the consultancy firm without the necessary approval from the Federal Executive Council (FEC), in violation of procurement laws.

The payments, allegedly initiated by the acting Director of Finance, Fatima Bashir Mohammed, were made to recover funds deducted by the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF) from the Nigerian Content Development Fund.

“This is a scandal of monumental proportions. We cannot continue to pretend that all is well while the very institutions meant to protect our national interests are looting the public treasury,” Abakpa said.

“Felix Ogbe must step aside immediately to allow for an independent investigation. We are giving him 14 days. If he fails to resign, we will mobilise Nigerians and occupy the streets of Abuja in protest.

“The attempt to justify this looting under the pretext of consultancy is not only laughable but insulting to the intelligence of Nigerians,” Abakpa said.

“This was a government-to-government issue that required high-level inter-agency engagement, not private intermediaries with questionable motives. We will not fold our arms and watch this continue,” the group said.

The group also raised concerns over a document it obtained, showing NCDMB’s approval of over N580 million for a five-day training in London, including estacodes, logistics, and allowances for board members and 15 “critical stakeholders” in the financial sector.

“At a time when ordinary Nigerians can’t afford a meal, the NCDMB leadership is jetting off to London to hold training sessions for which over N580 million was budgeted,” Abakpa said.

“This is wickedness in high places, and we demand accountability. We are not fools. Public service is not a gateway to unchecked luxury.”

Abakpa said the brazen disregard for financial rules, including contract-splitting to bypass the thresholds requiring FEC approval, showed deliberate intent to divert public funds.

“Contract splitting is illegal. The total amount paid exceeds any Ministerial Tenders Board limit, yet three separate approvals were sneaked through. It was carefully planned, and the evidence is clear. These are not just administrative breaches — they are criminal acts and must be treated as such,” he added.

He also criticised the appointments of key finance officers allegedly involved in the scandal, claiming they were made solely at Ogbe’s discretion, without necessary government clearance.

“It is deeply disturbing that the acting Director of Finance, the acting General Manager of Finance and Accounts, and others implicated were all appointed by Ogbe himself, without due process. This raises red flags about internal accountability within the Board and suggests an inner circle built for exploitation, not transparency,” Abakpa added.

The group reiterated its call for President Bola Tinubu to intervene, describing the situation as a litmus test for his administration’s anti-corruption stance.

“We are watching to see if this government will protect Nigerians or protect corruption. If no action is taken within two weeks, we will hit the streets of Abuja in peaceful protest, and we will not leave until Ogbe is gone and a full investigation is underway just as in the case of Betta Edu, the former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management,” he added.

“Nigerians are tired of being robbed in daylight. This is not just a demand for resignation. It is a demand for justice and we are ready to fight for it.”

Vanguard News