Anti-Corruption group under the aegis of Concerned Citizens Against Corruption (CCAC) has disowned a petition against the immediate past Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Mele Kyari.
The group, which has vowed legal action, noted that a faceless organisation claiming to be their members had addressed a press conference where they made frivolous and laughable allegations of corruption against Kyari.
The Director of Operations, CCAC, Comrade Emeka Uwazurike, while addressing journalists in Abuja on Saturday, disclosed that the imposters, led by one Comrade Kabir Matazu, were reported to have stormed the office of the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) on Tuesday, demanding a comprehensive probe and investigation into the NNPCL’s transactions over the past five years under Kyari.
According to CCAC, the imposters in their speech specifically alleged widespread fraud and irregularities in the handling of Turnaround Maintenance (TAM) of the nation’s refineries under Kyari’s leadership.
“Ordinarily, our association would have ignored this shameless group and their paymasters, but for the avoidance of doubt, we want to state categorically that at no time did we authorise any person or group of persons to speak on our behalf on any issue, including the recent infantile attack on the former managing director of NNPCL.
“The so-called Matazu and his co-travellers are not known to our association and therefore cannot use our highly respected organisation to do the bidding of some unscrupulous, mendacious and unpatriotic politicians who are on a vendetta mission.
“Concerned Citizens Against Corruption was rather embarrassed by this orchestrated script, which we have since discovered was designed to malign and tarnish the hard-earned reputation of Kyari,” Uwazurike said.
The anti-corruption group has, however, demanded the immediate arrest of the imposters to serve as a deterrent to others.
“We, therefore, demand the immediate arrest of the members of this group and their sponsors to serve as a deterrent to others who may want to hijack the name of the association for similar motives. We also, at this juncture, apologise to Mr Mele Kyari over this unwarranted attack on his person by these cheap blackmailers and their cohorts.”
The group, while expressing regret over the embarrassment this may have caused Kyari and his team, said, “For the record, we joined millions of Nigerians in commending Kyari for his giant strides in turning around the business fortunes of the company in the five years he was in office.
“Even President Bola Ahmed Tinubu would be shocked at the outburst of this faceless group against Kyari, who, while dissolving the NNPCL board led by him, noted the sterling achievements of the board.”
The anti-corruption group added that Kyari’s major achievement has been the revival of Nigeria’s decades-long moribund refineries.
“Under his leadership, long-stalled production activities at the Port Harcourt and Warri refineries have roared back to life, with the Kaduna Refinery beckoning. This audacious manoeuvre has disproved the long-held belief that the refineries would never come back to life. This move will surely engender energy security and ensure that Nigeria’s refining capacity can finally begin to meet domestic demand, with much more available for exports sooner rather than later.
“Kyari, recognising that public refineries alone cannot meet the nation’s needs, reportedly came up with strong collaborations with private refineries. The climax of this effort was the integration of the Dangote Refinery—a strategic partnership that started with a direct investment in Dangote Refinery. This not only expanded Nigeria’s refining capabilities but also introduced healthy competition into a previously monopolised industry.
“Kyari’s forward-thinking approach has set the stage for a more dynamic and self-reliant energy sector. While some may wish to attribute some of NNPC’s challenges and failures to him, discerning individuals would rather commend him for his ability to achieve results despite the torturous and oppressive terrain.
“From overseeing the commercialisation of NNPC to fostering partnerships that will ultimately bring renewed investor confidence, he has consistently delivered results. His commitment to opening up NNPC Limited for greater transparency, epitomised by Nigeria’s compliance with the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), has set a new benchmark for governance in the oil and gas sector,” Uwazurike added.
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