The Network for Oil Sector Transparency and Reform (NOSTR) has issued a two-week ultimatum to Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), demanding his immediate resignation.
In a statement signed by its President, Ambassador Charles Abakpa, NOSTR accused Ogbe of authorizing unauthorized payments to a private consulting firm, without Federal Executive Council (FEC) approval—violating public procurement laws.
“These revelations amount to a shameful betrayal of public trust and indict the leadership at the highest level of the Board,” Abakpa said.
The payments, reportedly approved by Ogbe and initiated by the acting Director of Finance, Fatima Bashir Mohammed, were intended to recover deductions made by the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF) from the Nigerian Content Development Fund.
NOSTR warned that if Ogbe refuses to step down within 14 days, it will mobilize mass protests to occupy the streets of Abuja.
The group also condemned a series of alleged abuses under Ogbe’s watch, including contract-splitting to circumvent financial oversight, illegal appointments of key officials, and extravagant foreign training programs costing over N580 million.
Abakpa stressed, “Contract splitting is illegal. The total payments exceed any ministerial threshold requiring FEC approval, yet multiple approvals were sneakily obtained. This was a deliberate plan to divert public funds and must be treated as a criminal act.”
He further raised concerns about the questionable appointments of the acting Director of Finance and other implicated officials, claiming they were installed by Ogbe without proper clearance, suggesting a corrupt inner circle.
Calling on President Bola Tinubu to intervene, NOSTR described the case as a litmus test for the administration’s anti-corruption commitment.
