Integrity Shock: ICPC Scores NNPC Zero, Ranks National Oil Company Low Despite Fresh Profits
- Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) scores zero in anti-corruption assessment, raising governance concerns
- Only 14% of federal agencies achieve substantial compliance in ICPC's 2025 Ethics and Integrity Scorecard
- ICPC signals tougher enforcement for high-risk agencies, including NNPCL, to improve accountability and transparency
Nigeria’s anti-corruption drive has come under renewed scrutiny following a low assessment of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL, by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission.
In its 2025 Ethics and Integrity Compliance Scorecard, the ICPC scored NNPCL zero, placing the national oil company at the very bottom of 357 federal ministries, departments and agencies evaluated nationwide.
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The outcome has reignited concerns about governance, transparency and accountability in some of Nigeria’s most strategic public institutions, particularly within the oil and gas sector that remains central to the country’s economic survival.
NNPC ranks last as governance gaps widen
According to the ICPC report released on Wednesday, NNPCL failed across all four pillars used to assess institutional integrity.
These include management culture and structure, financial management systems, administrative systems, and the effectiveness of anti-corruption and transparency units.
A zero score across the board automatically classified the company as a high-risk institution under the ICPC framework.
For observers, the ranking is especially striking given NNPCL’s recent announcements of improved financial performance and growing profitability, raising questions about the disconnect between financial results and governance standards.
Regulators show mixed integrity performance
The ICPC findings also revealed uneven performance among petroleum sector regulators. The Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, NUPRC, emerged as the top-performing agency in the entire assessment, posting a strong score of 91.83.
The commission was praised for robust internal controls, stronger compliance culture and clearer accountability structures.
In contrast, the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, NMDPRA, recorded a far lower score of 38.25, highlighting persistent structural and administrative weaknesses.
The disparity underscores how reforms within the sector have produced sharply different outcomes across institutions.
Only 14% of MDAs show substantial compliance
Beyond NNPCL, the broader picture painted by the 2025 scorecard is troubling. Out of the 357 MDAs assessed, only 48 agencies, representing 13.95%, achieved substantial compliance.
Another 132 MDAs, or 38.37%, recorded partial compliance, while 141 MDAs, about 40.99%, were rated poorly. An additional 23 MDAs were classified as outright non-compliant.
Speaking at the presentation, ICPC Chairman Dr Aliyu Musa, represented by the Director of Systems Study and Review, Mr Olusegun Adigun, said the results exposed deep and systemic weaknesses in ethical standards across the public service.
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Notably, no single MDA achieved full compliance, highlighting the scale of the governance challenge.
ICPC signals tougher enforcement ahead
Thirteen MDAs, including NNPCL, were flagged as non-responsive and categorised as high-risk. The list also includes several federal universities, medical centres and development authorities across different states.
The commission warned that agencies with persistently low scores would face closer scrutiny, including system studies, profiling and possible enforcement actions to compel compliance with existing statutes and anti-corruption directives.
The aim, according to the ICPC, is to promote integrity, accountability, efficiency and productivity in government operations.
Reputation, reform and credibility at stake
Efforts to obtain a response from NNPCL were unsuccessful, as its spokesperson did not respond to calls or messages as of the time of filing this report.
Source: Twitter
For analysts, the zero score goes beyond reputational damage. It raises serious questions about corporate governance, transparency and the credibility of ongoing reforms in a sector critical to Nigeria’s fiscal stability.
How NNPCL addresses the findings may shape public trust and investor confidence in the months ahead.
Nigeria's NUPRC gets top Score in ICPC Ethics Evaluation
Legit.ng earlier reported that the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission has emerged as the highest-ranked public institution in the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission’s 2025 ethics and integrity assessment, a result that oil sector advocates say reflects years of deliberate reforms under the leadership of Engr. Gbenga Komolafe.
Reacting to the ranking, the Energy Accountability and Governance Network described the outcome as a strong validation of Komolafe’s tenure as chief executive officer of the commission.
The group said the result showed that internal governance reforms introduced during his stewardship were not only effective but measurable by independent oversight bodies.
Source: Legit.ng
