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NIGERIANS IN UK PROTEST AGAINST MELE KYARI, DEMAND DEPORTATION OVER CORRUPTION ALLEGATIONS

CapitalTimesNews / 1 month
0
3 min read

Hundreds of Nigerians gathered outside the Nigerian High Commission and the UK Home Office in London on Monday, May 12, 2025, demanding the deportation of former Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) boss Mele Kyari to face corruption investigations in Nigeria. The protesters, under the banner of Rescue Nigeria Now, submitted formal petitions to both institutions, accusing Kyari of fleeing Nigeria to evade accountability for alleged financial misconduct during his tenure at NNPCL from 2019 to 2025. They carried placards with bold inscriptions such as “Withdraw Mele Kyari’s residency now!”, “Mele Kyari go home and face EFCC now!”, and “London is not for public officials who abused public trust.” In a letter addressed to the Nigerian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, the group expressed their disillusionment and outrage over Kyari’s freedom to walk the streets of London despite numerous allegations of corruption against him. “We are profoundly disillusioned and appalled by the effrontery with which Mr. Kyari has been walking in the street of London with impunity, while the tables of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and other anti-corruption agencies in Nigeria are flooded with so much petitions, audit queries, and evidences on the many alleged corrupt financial dealings and infraction that have been attached to his tenure,” the letter reads. The protesters detailed several allegations against Kyari, including the misappropriation of funds earmarked for refinery rehabilitation. Billions of dollars allocated for the rehabilitation of Nigeria’s refineries in Warri, Kaduna, and Port Harcourt allegedly vanished without tangible results. Instead, Nigeria continued importing refined petroleum products while its refineries remained moribund. The group also accused Kyari of running a syndicate of racketeers benefiting from fuel importation operations and criticized the fuel subsidy regime under his leadership, describing it as shrouded in confusion, crony capitalism, and contradictions. “Opaque subsidy payments of over trillions of naira were disbursed under the pretext of cushioning fuel costs. Yet, these payments lacked empirical substantiation and transparency on how they were spent,” the letter added. Rescue Nigeria Now emphasized the international implications of harboring individuals accused of corruption and alleged that Kyari transferred illicit funds to UK bank accounts. The coalition called upon the UK authorities to act in accordance with international anti-corruption agreements and expel Kyari to face justice in Nigeria. “The United Kingdom and Nigeria have established reciprocal treaties and agreements to curtail their citizens from willfully engaging in corruption and other criminal activities. Considering the extensive evidence of corruption and the severe impact on Nigeria, we hereby request that the Home Office expel Mr. Mele Kyari so that he can return to Nigeria. It is imperative that he faces justice for his actions and that the stolen funds are recovered to aid in the nation’s recovery and development,” the letter concluded.

NIGERIAN OIL INDUSTRY: WILL A NEW BOARD BLOCK THE CORRUPTION CESSPOOL?

CapitalTimesNews / 2 months
0
5 min read

By Paul Ejime ORDINARILY, President Bola Tinubu’s reconstitution of the governing board of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited should inspire hope for positive changes in the country’s beleaguered petroleum sector, but for critics and many Nigerians, it is a wait-and-see response. An official government statement on 2nd April 2025, said the move was crucial for “enhancing operational efficiency, restoring investor confidence, boosting local content, driving economic growth, and advancing gas commercialization and diversification.” The new 11-member board has Bashir Bayo Ojulari as the NNPCL Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO). He replaces Mele Kolo Kyari, who held the position from 2019. Kyari had earlier served as the Group General Manager, Crude Oil Marketing Division of the NNPC and Nigeria’s Representative at the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) from 2018. Ahmadu Musa Kida, the new non-executive Chairman of the NNPCL board, takes over from Chief Pius Akinyelure. All other board members appointed with Akinyelure and Kyari in November 2023 were also removed. Six board members, non-executive directors, represent Nigeria’s geopolitical zones. Mrs Lydia Shehu Jafiya, Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Finance, represents the ministry on the new board, and Aminu Said Ahmed, represents the Ministry of Petroleum Resources. President Tinubu, who, like his predecessor, former President Muhammadu Buhari (2016-2023), doubles as Petroleum Minister, charged the new board to conduct a strategic review of NNPC-operated and Joint Venture Assets to ensure alignment with value maximization objectives. As part of the Tinubu administration’s oil sector reforms to attract investment, the NNPCL last year reported US$17 billion in new investments within the sector. According to industry sources and government officials, Tinubu’s government plans to increase the investment to US$30 billion by 2027 and US$60 billion by 2030. While non-oil sector is considered a pathway to Nigeria’s sustainable economic growth, diversification remains an unending quest. Oil accounts for 80 per cent of Nigeria’s revenue and foreign exchange earnings, and data from the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), showed that the country’s crude oil revenue surged to ₦50.88 trillion in 2024, with total crude oil production of 408,680,457 barrels throughout the year. (about N1,500=1US$). However, until recently and for decades, Nigeria imported refined petroleum products, including the Premium Motor Spirit or petrol, and endured embarrassing national shortages blamed on mismanagement and lack of transparency in the industry. Four of the country’s state-run oil refineries were dormant for several years, while millions of Naira was spent as running costs on them, including staff emoluments. Two of the four refineries only reportedly resumed production recently. Consequently, Nigeria has continued to produce crude oil below the quota allocated to it by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), and not even the coming on stream of a few private refineries, particularly the Dangote Refinery, owned by Africa’s richest man Alhaji Aliko Dangote has ended the country’s oil industry misery. Since its inauguration in May 2023, the Tinubu administration has raised the pump price of petrol several times, adding to the hardship associated with the economic policies, which the government considers critical to stimulating economic growth and national prosperity. A six-month sale of crude oil by the NNPCL to private refineries in the local currency, Naira, another government stop-gap measure to shore up fuel supply has ended with consumers expressing anxiety about another potential bout of price rises. Like most government institutions and agencies, the NNPCL faces a trust deficit because of the opaqueness and phantom dealings in the petroleum industry, with critics claiming that the true position of the country’s oil production and general transactions is a mystery. To compound matters, the NNPCL admitted in its audited financial statement last August that it was struggling to pay off a US$6 billion debt. The new NNPCL Chairman, Kida, and GCEO Ojulari, bring to their new roles impressive career track records and vast experiences in the petroleum industry. But it remains to be seen if these are enough to bring the desired changes, including burnishing the profile of the Corporation and transforming Nigeria’s struggling petroleum industry. Some conspiracy theorists are even reading a curious coincidence into the new NNPCL leadership, pointing out that both men have separately worked with French companies TOTAL and Elf Aquitaine, and a day after their appointment, Nigeria’s President Tinubu jetted out to France on a working visit. Apart from his oil industry career, Kida was a basketballer and former President of the Nigerian Basketball Federation, while Ojulari also served in a senior position at Shell, a British affiliated oil giant. As a critical stakeholder in Nigeria’s major revenue-spinning industry, the NNPCL also provides the oil that powers the country’s political engine, including elections, and will continue to draw public attention. The Kida-led new board has its job cut out for it, either to do business differently and inspire public confidence, or join the list of previous executives that failed to meet the expectations of Nigerians who feel short-changed by the country’s failure to optimize the benefits of its God-given oil resources because of corruption and mismanagement. *Paul Ejime is a Global Affairs Analyst and Consultant on Peace & Security and Governance Communication

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NIGERIANS IN UK PROTEST AGAINST MELE KYARI, DEMAND DEPORTATION OVER CORRUPTION ALLEGATIONS

NNPC AND DANGOTE GROUP STRENGTHEN PARTNERSHIP FOR NIGERIA’S ENERGY GROWTH

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NIGERIAN OIL INDUSTRY: WILL A NEW BOARD BLOCK THE CORRUPTION CESSPOOL?

CNPP APPLAUDS PRESIDENT TINUBU ON MELE KYARI’S SACK, DEMANDS FORENSIC AUDIT OF NNPCL

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NIGERIA RAILWAY CORPORATION CLOSES ABRAKA STATION.

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