Kyari’s NNPCL and embarrassing harvest of indictments over sleaze

By Ifeanyi Izeze

The report by an online newspaper that Mele Kyari, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has been named and fingered in a couple of controversies involving sleaze in the nation’s apex oil concern, “but it appears he enjoys some sort of cover from way up”, was not taken seriously at first but twist of events is forcing the allegation to attract serious attention from several quarters of our national life especially the National Assembly.

Only months back, renowned Nigerian Newspaper, ENigeria Newspaper exposed the involvement of Mele Kyari in the multi-billion naira pipeline surveillance contract awarded to ex-militant, Tompolo and despite moves by the National Assembly to probe him, nothing was heard further.

In yet another damning report, Mr. Mele Kyari’s NNPC is allegedly involved in another multi-billion-naira tax fraud among others as seen in the report first published by Saharareporters.

NNPC was accused of Stealing N20 billion allegedly paid to ghost consultants as Ogun State Government sues the firm over theft of multi-billion naira tax.

As alleged by a staff member of Ogun state government, “The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission is turning a blind eye to the “massive fraud going on in NNPC because most of the principal actors involved are their people.

“The present leadership of NNPC stole triple more than their predecessor because the majority of the top management is from a certain part of the country, so there is no check and balances.”

The leadership of the Northern Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN) a few days ago accused Kolo Mele Kyari of manipulating the fuel subsidy regime.

NYCN asked the NNPCL Group Chief Executive Officer to step aside to allow for an unfettered probe by the House of Representatives into the payment of N20 billion to a “ghost consultant”.

According to the President of NYCN, Isah Abubakar, the NNPC manipulated the fuel subsidy regime which was seen during the acute fuel scarcity that lasted over 6 months.

“During the dark period, Nigerians were buying fuel at about N400 per litre, while the Federal Government spending on subsidy was skyrocketing.

“We are therefore urging the House of Representatives to probe the NNPC beyond the N20 billion contract scam. We will embark on a massive civil protest if the GCEO refuses to step aside”.

Isah further urged other civil society organisations to join his group in the struggle to “hold the NNPC accountable for its actions” adding that, “a thorough investigation into the payment of N20 billion to a ghost consultant is necessary to ensure transparency and accountability in the management of Nigeria’s oil and gas industry.”

The NYCN believed that the outcome of the NASS investigation would help to restore the confidence of Nigerians in the oil and gas industry and the government as a whole.

“We are committed to ensuring that the NNPC is held accountable for its actions and that the management of Nigeria’s oil and gas industry is transparent and accountable.

“We are committed to ensuring that the NNPC is held accountable for its actions and that the management of Nigeria’s oil and gas industry is transparent and accountable.

Just last Wednesday the Senate indicted the same NNPCL  for poor record-keeping for crude oil deliveries to Warri Refinery and Petrochemical Company and Kaduna Refinery and Petrochemical Company worth $376, 655,589 (N102.6bn).

The query reads, “From the review and examination of domestic crude oil lifting sales profile presented for audit verification, it was noted that several deliveries were stated to be jointly lifted by or delivered to Warri Refinery and Petrochemical Company and Kaduna Refinery and Petrochemical Company without necessary details or breakdown of what was delivered to respective companies.

“From the examination carried out, a total oil lifting of 8,399,017 bbls with a total sales value of $376,655,589 (N102.6 bn) was stated to have been lifted jointly by these two companies.”

According to the Senate, the failure to properly separate the deliveries and charge directly to each company makes it difficult to reconcile and account for each lifting.

The Senate, therefore, upheld the recommendation of its committee, asking the Group Managing Director of NNPC, Mele Kyari, to ensure specific details of crude delivered to the two refineries for audit.

The deliveries of crude oil from Escravos Terminal for the operation of Warri Refinery and Petrochemical Company and Kaduna Refinery and Petrochemical Company are channeled directly into the WRPC facility. And what happens to the allocated crude from thence is only known to the managers of NNPCL.

The House of Representatives is already on its course commencing on April 11 2023 to unravel the alleged illegal sale of 48 million barrels of crude oil valued at $2.4 billion despite the NNPC-sponsored media campaign that this particular case is not new. Whether new or old, has it been addressed by the NNPC(L) or we should again sweep it under the carpet?

It would be recalled that in December 2022, the House had set up an ad hoc committee to investigate a whistleblower’s claims that 48 million barrels of Bonny Light crude were illegally sold in China in 2015.

The committee was also to investigate all crude oil exports and sales by Nigeria from 2014 till date.

To this end, the House Committee will on April 11, 2023, grill ministers and other heads of ministries, departments, and agencies of the Federal Government as well as oil companies and banks over the alleged illegal sale of 48 million barrels of crude oil valued at $ 2.4 billion.

It is a known fact that even as the government complains of dwindling revenue, there are so many avenues that revenues that are supposed to be remitted to government coffers are being siphoned. This alleged illegal sale of crude oil is one of them.

About 450, 000 barrels of crude oil are set aside every day for domestic processing in the nation’s existing three-and-a-half refineries: Port Harcourt coupled, Warri, and Kaduna plants. This is just the official figure but can anybody vouch for the company not to have been bursting that quota ceiling?

The NNPC (L) takes this much volume every day for refineries that have been dead for over 10 years. Meanwhile, the company still pays itself trillions of naira every month from our collective wealth as subsidies for imported fuel.

Is it not absurd that no organ or agency of government or even civil society individuals had ever bothered to ask the NNPC to account for the 450, 000 barrels of crude oil daily off-takes from the federal government’s share of the joint venture-produced oil? 450, 000 barrels of crude oil every day unaccounted for? All hail Naija!

• Izeze is National Daily Columnist and can be reached at: [email protected]; 234-8033043009