By Peter Omopo
Abuja, July 10, 2025 — The House of Representatives Sub-Committee on the Protection of Critical National Assets has dismissed a corruption petition filed against the Nigerian Electricity Liability Management Company (NELMCO), declaring the allegations unsubstantiated and affirming the agency’s legal standing under Nigerian law.
The petition, submitted by the Association for Public Policy Analysis (APPA), had accused NELMCO of financial misappropriation and questioned its continued operation more than a decade after the privatisation of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN). The group argued that the agency should have ceased to exist in 2017.
However, at the resumed public hearing on Thursday, the committee chairman, Hon. Dabo Ismail (APC, Bauchi), said a thorough review had been conducted, and the committee found no wrongdoing on the part of NELMCO.
“Upon receiving the petition, we took it seriously and initiated a comprehensive investigation,” Ismail said. “After reviewing the documents submitted by NELMCO, we confirm that the agency’s existence is in full compliance with the Nigerian Electricity Act of 2023.”
According to the lawmaker, the 2023 Act explicitly mandates NELMCO to manage all liabilities and non-core assets of PHCN and its successor companies, contradicting APPA’s assertion that the agency should have been dissolved post-privatisation.
Addressing a separate allegation concerning the alleged misuse of N94 million on a retreat in Lagos, NELMCO’s Managing Director, Mojoyinoluwa Dekalu-Thomas, defended the expenditure and pledged transparency.
She explained that the five-day retreat included 25 participants, among them top government officials such as the Director Generals of the Debt Management Office and the Bureau of Public Procurement, executive and non-executive directors, and expert facilitators.
“The retreat was held at the Intercontinental Hotel in Lagos, and we have photographic and documentary evidence to account for all expenses,” Dekalu-Thomas said.
The committee chairman commended NELMCO for its cooperation during the probe and urged civil society organisations to thoroughly verify claims before bringing petitions to the National Assembly.
