CSO gives NCDMB Boss two weeks to resign over scandal

The Network for Oil Sector Transparency and Reform (NOSTR) has issued a two-week ultimatum to the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, to resign over the alleged misappropriation of N7.7 billion or face mass protests at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). In a statement signed by […]

The Network for Oil Sector Transparency and Reform (NOSTR) has issued a two-week ultimatum to the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, to resign over the alleged misappropriation of N7.7 billion or face mass protests at the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

In a statement signed by its President, Ambassador Charles Abakpa, the group described the revelations around the unauthorized payments to a private consulting firm, S.B. Capital Partners & Advisory Limited, as “a shameful betrayal of public trust” and “an indictment on the leadership at the highest level of the Board.”

According to reports, Ogbe 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, 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 group reiterated its call or 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.”