In what can only be described as a shocking display of public waste, the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation reportedly spent N5.4 million on a microwave oven and an electric kettle.
According to records on the public payments portal, Govspend, the payment was made to Rosebud Ventures Global Resources Limited on June 30, 2025, under the description “for procurement of microwave oven and electric kettle in office of OHCSF.”
This is not an isolated case. A review of public spending shows that federal agencies continue to splurge on basic items at inflated costs. The Pension Transitional Arrangement Department (PTAD) reportedly spent N6.8 million on just 20 litres of groundnut oil, a product that retails at around N52,000 per 25-litre container. How N6.8 million was justified for such a purchase remains unclear, exposing a troubling pattern of financial recklessness.
The Debt Management Office also comes under scrutiny, having allegedly spent N52.1 million on tea for staff in 2025. Vendors including Diamond Seasons Nigeria Limited, Whiteluck Engineering Limited, Sani Sadi Nigeria Limited, De-Godf Energy Limited, Soleilune Nigeria Limited, and Nurasabe Nigeria Limited collectively received millions of naira for tea supply contracts.
Payments ranged from N8.5 million to N8.8 million for a few months’ supply, further fueling concerns over inflated government procurement.
Even the Nigeria Police Force has joined this pattern of excessive spending. Under Inspector General Kayode Egbetokun, the force reportedly spent over N239.4 million in 2025 on basic food items such as cartons of Geisha, biscuits, Ovaltine, milk, Milo, and canned baked beans.
These revelations, sourced from Govspend and maintained by the socio-accountability platform BudgIT, paint a disturbing picture of mismanagement at the highest levels of Nigeria’s public service.
As ordinary Nigerians struggle with rising costs of living, public funds continue to be squandered on items that are basic and affordable in the open market.
The million-naira microwave, the N6.8 million groundnut oil, and multi-million naira tea purchases raise urgent questions: Who approves these expenditures? What internal oversight exists to prevent such blatant wastage? And how long will taxpayers continue to bear the brunt of a system that seems designed to serve the comfort of a few rather than the many?