In a dramatic move, fifteen lawmakers under the banner of The Economy Rescue Group have called for the resignation of Mele Kyari, Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL).
The lawmakers argue that Kyari’s leadership has been marred by mismanagement, which they believe is exacerbating the challenges faced by President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
In a press statement issued in Abuja on Tuesday, Esosa Iyawe, the leader of the group and a lawmaker representing Oredo Federal Constituency, asserted that Kyari’s continued tenure is detrimental to the administration’s progress. The group insists that Kyari should be suspended pending the outcome of a forensic investigation by the House of Representatives’ Joint Committee on Petroleum (Downstream and Midstream).
“We, the 15 concerned lawmakers, state unequivocally that the woes of the oil and gas sector in the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led administration are caused mainly by the failures and mismanagement of the NNPCL under Kyari’s management. Therefore, to resolve these issues, they should honourably resign,” the statement reads.
The lawmakers also expressed support for the ongoing forensic investigation into various allegations against the NNPCL, including the presence of middlemen in trading, indiscriminate issuance of licenses, and the influx of adulterated products into the country. They have advised President Tinubu to take decisive action by suspending the NNPCL top echelons until the probe is completed.
“The petroleum sector remains the backbone of the nation’s economy, and the allegations uncovered by the House, which necessitated the forensic investigation, are astounding,” the statement continued.
“They relate to the presence of middlemen in trading, the indiscriminate issuance of licenses, the unavailability of laboratories to check adulterated products, the influx of adulterated products into the country, the allegation of non-domestication of profits realised from crude marketing sales in local banks, and other anomalies.”
The group further alleged issues such as unfair subsidisation of petroleum products, racketeering, and favouritism in the Pro Forma Invoice System (PFI). They also cited problems like the return of PMS price intervention, product unavailability to marketers from NNPC Retail, and mismanagement at petrol depots affecting product distribution.
“With all these issues occurring under Kyari’s watch, there is no way the economy can grow,” the lawmakers concluded.
“It is therefore obvious that the NNPCL management is undermining and is already undermining Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda through incompetence, and they must be suspended to allow for an unhindered probe.”