EXCLUSIVE: Nigeria’s NEPC Boss Nonye Ayeni Spent N230Million On 15 Foreign Trips In One Year Despite Presidential Ban –Audit Query

The Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation has issued an audit query against the Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Mrs. Nonye Ayeni, accusing her of engaging in financial rascality, abuse of office, and violation of federal government directives regulating international travel by public officials.

Multiple sources familiar with the development told SaharaReporters that the audit query followed a detailed examination of the financial records of the NEPC for the 2024 fiscal year, during which auditors allegedly uncovered several cases of questionable spending, violations of financial regulations, and disregard for presidential directives aimed at reducing government expenditure.

According to the audit findings obtained by SaharaReporters, Mrs. Ayeni embarked on numerous international trips in 2024 at a total cost of N230,540,843, in what auditors described as blatant violations of federal government circulars governing official foreign travels.

The Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation (OAGF) stated in its report that Mrs. Ayeni’s actions undermined the cost-saving policies introduced by President Bola Tinubu’s administration under its Renewed Hope Agenda, which aims to curb corruption and enforce fiscal discipline across ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs).

The report noted that the trips violated extant circulars and presidential directives governing official travel for public officials.

According to the audit report, Mrs. Ayeni “embarked severally on many international travels without due regard to extant circulars on Presidential directive on international travels for Government Officials.”

The report specifically referenced circular No. PRS080/ADM/GEN/I dated September 18, 2023, titled “Guidelines on Conduct of Official Travels by Cabinet Members, Heads of Agencies and Public Officials,” issued by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.

It also cited another directive No. SGFOP/I/S.3/XII/213 dated February 21, 2024, which reiterated government restrictions on foreign trips for public officials.

Both circulars emphasised fiscal discipline and imposed strict limitations on publicly funded international travel.

Despite these directives, the audit report alleged that Mrs. Ayeni undertook a significant number of international trips throughout 2024.

According to the auditors, the NEPC boss reportedly embarked on: “Four international trips in the first quarter of 2024.

“Two international trips in the second quarter of 2024 and two international trips in the third quarter of 2024. Seven international trips in the fourth quarter of 2024.”

The trips, according to the report, cumulatively cost the government N230,540,843.00.

Auditors noted that the frequency of these trips directly violated government policy which stipulates that publicly funded international travel by government officials must not exceed two trips per quarter.

The report further pointed out that some of the trips were undertaken after the Federal Government imposed a temporary ban on publicly funded international travel.

The ban was contained in a circular with reference SH/COS/63/1A/574 dated March 12, 2024, signed by the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, which suspended such trips with effect from April 1, 2024.

The directive was part of the Tinubu administration’s broader effort to reduce government spending and ensure that heads of MDAs focus on their core mandates.

However, auditors alleged that Mrs. Ayeni ignored the directive and continued embarking on foreign trips funded by government resources.

The audit report also raised concerns that several of the trips undertaken by the NEPC boss did not meet the criteria of necessity or relevance to the agency’s mandate.

Under federal government rules, all international travels must be highly necessary, beneficial to Nigeria, and directly related to the mandate of the organisation involved.

The audit report claimed that some of the trips undertaken by Mrs. Ayeni lacked clear justification or any identifiable role for her participation.

In addition, the report accused her of travelling with a large entourage of officials, contrary to policy guidelines that restrict delegations led by heads of agencies to a maximum of two persons, including the head of the agency.

While summarising its findings, the Office of the Auditor-General condemned the actions of the NEPC chief, stating that her conduct represented a direct affront to the presidency.

The report stated: “The ED/CEO’s action openly indicates an insult to the face of the Presidency by way of violating the circular provided and expending a whooping sum of N230,540,843.00 on international travels in the year under review alone as against stipulated circular.”

It added that government funds were “wasted recklessly” in a manner that undermines the anti-corruption efforts of the current administration.

According to the report: “Government fund was wasted recklessly in an attempt to frustrate the government of the day’s effort in curbing corruption and saving recourse as part of the renewed hope agenda.”

The auditors further criticised the conduct of the NEPC boss, describing it as damaging to the government’s fiscal reform programme.

“It is demeaning to see that an office that is a part of the government is crippling the government as a whole in an attempt to satisfy its disallowed and illegal self-centred desires,” the report stated.

The report also accused Mrs. Ayeni of refusing to comply with measures introduced by the government to ensure fiscal discipline.

“The ED/CEO has vehemently refused to abide by the measures put in place by the Government of the day in order to move the administration forward, and by this is nothing but a drain to the efforts put by the government of the day to save the nation,” the auditors said. 

The audit report concluded that the NEPC boss’ actions constituted “financial rascality, violation of extant circulars, outright siphoning of government funds and frustration of government efforts.”

Consequently, the auditors recommended that the entire amount spent on the controversial trips be recovered.

“Without an option, the sum of N230,540,843.00 involved for disallowed international trips should be recovered en bloc and immediately refunded to government coffers,” the report recommended.

The audit also highlighted specific trips it considered questionable.

One of the examples cited involved a payment of N16,801,228 made to Mrs. Ayeni for estacode and airfare to travel to Paris, France.

According to the report, the payment was processed under Payment Voucher No. NEPC/OC/2739/2024 on November 25, 2024, to enable her attend the opening ceremony of a Zenith Bank branch in Paris.

Auditors stated that Mrs. Ayeni’s invitation to the event was based on her personal relationship with the bank, as she had previously worked for Zenith Bank before joining the NEPC.

The report noted that she had no official role at the event and questioned why government funds were used to sponsor the trip.

The auditors described the expenditure as both financial rascality and outright disregard to extant rules.

The report stated: “This is the kind of expenses that ordinarily officers will never deep their hands into their personal pockets to incur but have no problem in fetching government funds for it.”

The audit also uncovered irregularities involving overlapping travel schedules.

According to the report, Mrs. Ayeni collected travel funds for multiple international engagements that had conflicting dates, raising doubts about whether she actually attended all the events.

For example, the report stated that she was paid to attend the Magic Trade Show in Las Vegas, United States, scheduled from February 13 to February 15, 2024, under Voucher No. NEPC/OC/9160/2024.

She was also scheduled to attend the 13th World Trade Organisation Ministerial Conference (MC13) in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, from February 26 to February 29, 2024, under Payment Voucher No. NEPC/OC/0057/2024.

Additionally, she was listed to participate in the 18th Ghana Trade Fair, scheduled to hold from March 1 to March 7, 2024, under Voucher No. NEPC/OC/0210/2024.

At the same time, she was also reportedly included as part of a presidential delegation to Doha, Qatar on March 2, 2024.

The audit report questioned the feasibility of attending all these events due to their close scheduling.

According to the auditors, there was no single travel document filed to confirm her participation in all the programmes.

The report added: “Since there was no single travel document that was filed by Mrs. Ayeni, it is clear and safe to state that Mrs. Ayeni did not attend all the programmes because of the conflicting dates and/or closeness of the dates or that she attended some of the programmes half way without refunding estacode balance.”

The revelations have raised fresh questions about compliance with government financial regulations among top officials of federal agencies.

As part of efforts to ensure fiscal discipline, President Tinubu ordered the suspension of publicly funded foreign trips beginning April 1, 2024, to ensure that government officials focus on effective service delivery and reduce unnecessary spending.

Similarly, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, had earlier issued circulars reinforcing travel restrictions and warning that the federal government would no longer tolerate abuse of its directives.

The circular emphasised that all existing rules aimed at instilling fiscal discipline and prudence, especially in the area of official travels, must be strictly enforced.

However, according to the audit report, Mrs. Ayeni allegedly ignored these directives and continued undertaking numerous international trips at government expense, some of which auditors described as private engagements unrelated to the mandate of the NEPC.

When SaharaReporters contacted the spokesperson for the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Mr. Aliu Seidu Sadiq, he said he was not aware of the allegation and described it as incorrect to claim that the chief executive had embarked on trips amounting to such an amount.

He said, “Nothing of such has happened here. The Nigerian Export Promotion Council, as you know, is a federal government agency responsible for the promotion of Nigeria’s non-oil export sector. You cannot sit at home and market your products; you have to go outside.

“So I am not aware, and it is not correct to say that the chief executive has gone on trips amounting to such an amount. That is wrong.”