Naira-for-crude: CSO groups condemn attacks against Mele Kyari

A coalition of civil society groups and digital content creators has strongly defended the former Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL), Mallam Mele Kyari, amid growing media scrutiny and public protests over the $2 billion crude-for-loan agreement.

In a joint statement signed by Comrade Tabuko Kennedy, National Mobilisation Officer of the Coalition of Civil Society Organisations in Nigeria (COCSON), and Efe John Abayomi, National Spokesperson of the Bloggers and Vloggers Content Creators Association (BAVCCA), the groups condemned the attacks as “a calculated attempt to malign the person and office of Mele Kyari” and warned that politicizing reform could undermine national progress.

“Mele Kyari has done everything a true, patriotic, and honest leader can do,” the statement said. “In a very difficult economic crisis, he stood for the greater good of all Nigerians, rather than a few cabals.”

The coalition insisted that the $3.3 billion crude-backed loan, executed in collaboration with Afreximbank and backed by the Federal Government, was a sovereign economic strategy — not a financial scandal.

“This is not a scandal,” the groups clarified. “It is a structured misrepresentation of a standard commercial transaction that predates this administration and has been carefully supervised under the regulatory and sovereign structures of the Federal Government of Nigeria.”

They accused certain political interests of sponsoring protests and online campaigns to distort public perception, describing the backlash as a form of resistance by entrenched corrupt networks threatened by ongoing reforms in the oil and gas sector.

“We have credible information that certain vested interests, threatened by the sanitization of the oil sector, are sponsoring protests and media hysteria to derail reforms in the NNPCL,” the statement alleged. “This is a simple case of when you fight corruption, corruption fights back.”

Regarding the integrity of the transaction, the groups stated unequivocally: “There is zero evidence of crude diversion, missing shipments, or financial misappropriation. All proceeds and repayment schedules are transparent, documented, and auditable.”

They also emphasized that Kyari was not acting unilaterally, noting that the crude-for-loan deal was “vetted by relevant agencies, including the Ministry of Finance, Debt Management Office, and the Attorney General’s Office.”

Recounting his achievements, the coalition described Mele Kyari as “Nigeria’s most transparent NNPC boss in decades,” pointing to his role in transforming the NNPCL into a commercially-run, limited liability company with published, audited books — a first in the institution’s history.

The groups also cited President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s public endorsement of Kyari’s service, particularly his tribute on the former GCEO’s 60th birthday, where the president hailed him as a model of dedication and reform.

“Kyari is a shining example and embodiment of the ideals of the Renewed Hope Agenda,” President Tinubu had said on January 8, 2025.

Clarifying the circumstances surrounding Kyari’s departure from office, the statement stressed that it was “not a dismissal but a smooth transition,” with the President’s commendation confirming that his exit was not linked to any wrongdoing.

The coalition also made a passionate call for fairness and national unity: “We will not sit back and watch a reformer be sacrificed on the altar of politics,” they declared. “If anyone has genuine proof of wrongdoing, let them present it through proper legal channels, not through sponsored headlines and mob protests.”