Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has criticized President Bola Tinubu’s directive to allow the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to control crude oil sales proceeds from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL).

He noted that the CBN lacks the sole responsibility to adhere to the directive.

President Tinubu had, on Monday, directed the CBN to assume responsibility for crude oil sales from NNPCL.

However, in a statement signed by Atiku, he described the directive as “illegal,” adding that it undermines the operational independence of the NNPCL.

Atiku suggested that the apex bank collaborate with the Nigeria Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative (NEITI) to reflect transparency and accountability.

Late last month, the former VP asked President Tinubu to account for the NNPCL’s 3.3 billion dollar emergency crude repayment loan, which the corporation secured on August 16, 2023.