Nigeria’s Atomic Energy Commission Paid ₦34m Without Documents, Lost Track of Store Items and Let a Former Chairman Drive Off With Official Toyota Camry

Secrets Reporters

The Nigeria Atomic Energy Commission (NAEC), the federal agency responsible for promoting the peaceful development and application of atomic energy, including research into nuclear science, the development of nuclear power for electricity generation, and the training of personnel in nuclear technology, recorded approximately ₦34.22 million in questionable payments and asset irregularities between 2018 and 2020, according to exclusive findings by SecretsReporters.

The three issues identified involve payments for construction and maintenance works without supporting documents, store items never entered on official ledgers, and the unexplained disappearance of a government vehicle later linked to a former Chairman of the Commission. NAEC, created by Act 46 of 1976 and fully activated in 2006, operates research centres across the country and is tasked with laying the foundation for Nigeria’s nuclear power programme while ensuring safety, security and peaceful applications of nuclear science.

The identity of the Chairman who held office throughout the 2018–2020 period could not be independently confirmed from public records. A later appointment of Professor Yusuf Aminu Ahmed as Chairman/CEO took effect in September 2021, while the current leadership under Engr. Dr. Anthony Inalegwu Godwin Ekedegwa was confirmed by President Bola Tinubu in 2026.

SecretsReporters’ investigation established that seven payments totalling ₦18,805,187.87 were made between March and December 2020 for construction and maintenance works without the required supporting documents, including job-completion certificates. The absence of these records raised clear risks of loss and possible diversion of government funds.

Management maintained that the vouchers related to ongoing construction projects that had started as far back as 2012 at the Commission’s research centres and that the relevant documents were held in individual contract files. Despite this explanation, the investigation found no evidence that the necessary certificates or equivalent proof of work done had been presented or verified at the time the payments were processed, leaving the expenditure inadequately supported.

A further ₦15,416,610.29 spent on store items through eighteen paid vouchers was never entered on the Commission’s store ledger. Financial regulations require that all items purchased with public funds be properly taken on charge to prevent loss or diversion. Management responded that the equipment had been procured at the head office on behalf of various centres, delivered to those centres and charged accordingly, claiming confirmation during a later visit. SecretsReporters’ findings, however, showed that the items remained unrecorded on the official store ledger at the time of verification, creating the risk that payments were made for supplies that could not be fully accounted for.

The third issue concerned a black Toyota Camry with registration number FG 724 B02 that appeared on the Commission’s asset register but was missing during physical inspection. The investigation established that a former Chairman of the Commission took the vehicle upon leaving service. There was no evidence that the car had been formally boarded or allocated to him, and no purchase or disposal records were produced to justify the transfer. Public service rules require retiring officers to surrender all government property.

Management stated that the vehicle was among assets undergoing a boarding process supervised by officers of the Ministry of Works. SecretsReporters found no documentary proof that the vehicle had been properly written off or transferred in accordance with regulations, leaving open the possibility of conversion of government property and loss of public assets.

These irregularities occurred at an agency whose mandate includes the development of nuclear infrastructure, research into peaceful applications of atomic energy, and the eventual deployment of nuclear power plants to diversify Nigeria’s electricity generation. Weaknesses in documentation of construction payments, failure to record store items, and the unresolved status of a high-value official vehicle point to gaps in internal controls over public resources.

Management responses consistently sought to reframe the issues as administrative or procedural rather than fully accounting for the sums and the missing asset. At the time of publication, SecretsReporters found no independent confirmation that the recommended recoveries had been effected or that the vehicle had been returned or properly disposed of.

The patterns uncovered raise broader questions about accountability in an institution handling specialised and sensitive responsibilities.