Coalition hails NNPCL GCEO Ojulari’s explosive revelations, demands judicial probe

A coalition of political parties and civil society groups has applauded the new Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Mr. Bayo Ojulari, for exposing what it described as deep-rooted corruption and operational rot within the nation’s refineries.

The Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) and the Coalition of National Civil Society Organisations (CNCSOs), in a joint statement issued at the weekend, called for a full-scale judicial inquiry into NNPCL’s activities between 2017 and 2023 and the immediate arrest of the immediate past GCEO, Engr. Mele Kyari.

The commendation follows startling disclosures made by Ojulari in Abuja on Thursday, August 29, 2025, during a meeting with leaders of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN).

Ojulari revealed that Nigeria’s refineries, particularly the Port Harcourt facility, had become financial black holes, bleeding between N300 million and N500 million monthly without commensurate output.

He further disclosed that although about 950,000 barrels of crude oil had been pumped into the Port Harcourt refinery, less than 40 percent was processed, resulting in substandard fuel output.

Challenging a long-held misconception, Ojulari clarified that the so-called “old” and “new” Port Harcourt refineries were never separate entities but an interconnected unit designed to function as one. Years of “willful neglect and deceit,” he said, had rendered rehabilitation efforts almost impossible.

Reacting to these revelations, the CNPP and CNCSOs said Ojulari had courageously confirmed what they had been warning Nigerians about under Kyari’s leadership.

“For years, we sounded the alarm about the deliberate sabotage of the refineries to sustain fraudulent petroleum importation rackets, manipulation of figures, and economic sabotage under Kyari’s watch,” the groups said in the statement signed by Comrade James Ezema, CNPP Deputy National Publicity Secretary, and Alhaji Ali Abacha, CNCSOs National Secretary.

They recalled that their coalition was met with hostility and media suppression whenever it raised concerns, even as Nigerians continued to suffer from fuel scarcity, ballooning subsidy payments, and worsening economic hardship.

READ ALSO: NNPCL loses $300m-$500m monthly to running Port Harcourt refinery – Ojulari

Contradictions and False Profits

The coalition also pointed to glaring inconsistencies in the former NNPCL leadership’s accounts, noting that the “absurd” profits declared under Kyari contradicted the massive subsidy claims submitted to the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC).

“These were not mere accounting inconsistencies—they were deliberate deceit, now being vindicated by the honest disclosures of the current GCEO,” the groups asserted.

Call for Judicial Inquiry and Arrest

The coalition argued that the scale of corruption was beyond the capacity of anti-graft agencies like the EFCC, stressing the need for a public and transparent judicial probe into NNPCL operations between 2017 and 2023.

“Given the scale of losses, contradictions, and unresolved allegations—including fraudulent subsidy claims, questionable crude oil swap deals, unaccounted proceeds from crude sales, and the deliberate incapacitation of Nigeria’s refineries—we insist that Engr. Mele Kyari must be arrested and compelled to give a full account of his stewardship,” the statement read.

They warned that failure to act would amount to endorsing impunity and betraying the Nigerian people.

Praise for Ojulari, Call for Tinubu’s Intervention

The coalition lauded Ojulari for his “courage in lifting the veil of deceit that shielded past corruption” but insisted that his bravery must be backed by government action.

“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu must act now to save the economy and the suffering masses by ordering a judicial probe of the NNPCL from 2017 to 2023. Anything short of this will perpetuate hardship and deny citizens economic relief,” the groups declared.

They concluded by urging the federal government to transform the NNPCL from a “den of corruption” into a true national asset that serves the interest of all Nigerians.