A civic advocacy group, Agenda for Positive Change, led by Titus Danladi-Biu, has dismissed recent attempts to link former Chief Investment Officer of the NNPC Upstream Investment Management Services (NUIMS), Dr. Bala Wunti, to the widely circulated “₦210 trillion Senate probe” controversy, describing the claims as fabricated falsehood deliberately designed to cast public aspersions on his reputation.
In a statement issued on Friday, the group said the allegations against Wunti were “baseless, malicious and politically motivated,” insisting that no credible evidence exists connecting the former NNPC executive to any alleged missing funds or Senate investigation.
According to the group, Bala Wunti was never indicted, investigated, or formally accused by any Senate committee, anti-corruption agency, or judicial panel over the controversial claims being circulated in certain political quarters.
Agenda for Positive Change stated that attempts to associate Wunti with the alleged ₦210 trillion scandal amount to “reckless propaganda and orchestrated character assassination aimed at tarnishing the image of one of Nigeria’s respected oil and gas professionals.”
The statement noted that much of the controversy surrounding the ₦210 trillion figure had already been challenged by industry experts and fiscal analysts, who argued that the figures being cited relate largely to complex accounting liabilities, joint venture obligations, and upstream petroleum financing structures rather than stolen public cash.
“It is both dishonest and irresponsible to falsely insert Bala Wunti into a narrative where there is no verified evidence of wrongdoing,” the group said.
The organization further highlighted Wunti’s professional record in the oil and gas industry, noting that he served meritoriously across different segments of the petroleum value chain for close to 35 years before retiring honorably in 2025 as NNPC’s Chief Group Corporate Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) Officer.
The group also recalled that Wunti’s tenure within NUIMS and the broader upstream sector was associated with operational reforms, strategic asset management initiatives, production growth, and investor confidence programs.
Agenda for Positive Change warned against the growing trend of weaponizing misinformation and unverified allegations against prominent public figures for political purposes.
“Public accountability must be rooted in facts, due process and credible investigations, not social media speculation, distorted narratives and politically engineered fiction,” the statement added.
The group urged Nigerians to disregard what it described as “desperate attempts by political actors to manipulate public opinion through sensational but unsubstantiated accusations.”
It maintained that no lawful or investigative authority has established any personal culpability against Bala Wunti regarding the alleged ₦210 trillion claims.
“For the avoidance of doubt, Dr. Bala Wunti is not the face of any ₦210 trillion scandal, was never indicted over such allegations, and should not be falsely portrayed as being involved in financial wrongdoing where no verified evidence exists,” the statement concluded.
