A coalition of Nigeria’s political parties and civil society organisations has lauded the new Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Mr. Bayo Ojulari, for his stunning disclosures on the deep-seated corruption and operational decay at the nation’s refineries, especially the Port Harcourt facility.
In a joint statement, the Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) and the Coalition of National Civil Society Organisations (CNCSOs) are demanding an immediate, full-scale judicial inquiry into the NNPCL’s activities under its former leadership and the arrest of the immediate past GCEO, Engr. Mele Kyari.
A Courageous Confirmation of Years of Sabotage
The commendation follows explosive revelations made by Mr. Ojulari in Abuja on Thursday, August 29, 2025, during a meeting with the leadership of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN). The NNPCL boss painted a grim picture of financial hemorrhage, stating that the company was losing between ₦300 million to ₦500 million monthly across its refineries. He revealed that the Port Harcourt refinery was a major drain, consuming vast resources without any commensurate output.
Mr. Ojulari further shocked the nation by disclosing that despite pumping approximately 950,000 barrels of crude into the facility, less than 40 percent of the inputs were being processed. This inefficiency resulted in Nigeria receiving “mid-grade, substandard products because only half of the refinery was functional.”
He also dismantled a long-held myth about the refinery’s structure, stressing that what were often called the “old and new” refineries were, in fact, interconnected systems designed to operate as a single unit.
According to the GCEO, years of “willful neglect and deceit” had made any attempt at rehabilitation exceptionally difficult.
Reacting to these disclosures, the CNPP and CNCSOs described them as a “courageous confirmation of what we have consistently warned Nigerians about under the former NNPCL leadership led by Engr. Mele Kyari.”
In their statement, jointly signed by Comrade James Ezema, the CNPP’s Deputy National Publicity Secretary, and Alhaji Ali Abacha, the National Secretary of CNCSOs, the groups said they felt vindicated.
“For years, we sounded the alarm about the deliberate sabotage of the refineries to sustain fraudulent petroleum importation rackets, the manipulation of figures, and the economic sabotage being perpetuated under Kyari’s watch,” the statement read.
The coalition recalled the hostility they faced for their advocacy. “Rather than address these issues, our coalition was bullied, blackmailed, and suppressed in the media by the then NNPCL management, while Nigerians continued to suffer under fuel scarcity, rising subsidy bills, and worsening economic hardship.”
A Call for a Public Judicial Inquiry
The groups highlighted the glaring contradictions that characterized the previous administration, particularly the “absurd and unacceptable” profits declared by the Mele Kyari-led NNPCL.
They argued that these declared profits stood in “stark contradiction to the staggering subsidy claims submitted to the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC).”
The coalition insisted these were not merely accounting errors but a calculated campaign of falsehood. “These were not mere accounting inconsistencies—they were deliberate deceit, now being vindicated by the honest disclosures of the current GCEO.”
Explaining their persistent focus on the state-owned oil company, the CSOs offered a stark diagnosis of Nigeria’s economic woes. “Nigeria’s economic suffocation is rooted in years of corruption at NNPCL—until the rot is cleaned out, citizens will never breathe,” they declared.
The statement emphasized that the hardship faced by Nigerians is a direct consequence of this entrenched corruption and asserted that citizens will “remain trapped in hardship and denied true economic relief unless Nigeria reasonably diversifies our national revenue sources.”
Given the scale of the alleged malfeasance, the coalition believes the matter is beyond the scope of conventional anti-graft agencies. “It is now beyond doubt that the corruption entrenched in the NNPCL under Kyari’s leadership is far bigger than what conventional anti-graft agencies like the EFCC can unravel on their own.”
Consequently, they renewed their call for a “forensic investigation and an independent judicial inquiry into the operations of the NNPCL between 2017 and 2023.” They insisted that such a probe “must be public, transparent, and aimed at recovering every kobo of the stolen commonwealth of Nigerians.”
Demand for Arrest and Presidential Action
The coalition directed a pointed appeal to the presidency, urging President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to intervene decisively to “save the economy and the suffering masses by immediately ordering a judicial probe of the NNPCL from 2017–2023.” They stated that this investigation must expose the “manipulation, deceit, and economic sabotage that have crippled Nigeria’s oil sector and held our country hostage to the greed of a few.”
Furthermore, the groups made an unequivocal demand for the arrest and prosecution of the former NNPCL head. “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.”
They warned that “anything short of this would be an endorsement of impunity and a betrayal of the Nigerian people.”
In their concluding remarks, the CNPP and CNCSOs circled back to praise the new GCEO, Mr. Bayo Ojulari, “for daring to confront the truth, for lifting the veil of deceit that shielded past corruption, and for rekindling the hope that accountability is still possible in Nigeria.”
However, they stressed that his courage alone is not enough. “His courage must be matched by decisive government action. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu must act now to ensure that the NNPCL ceases to be a den of corruption and instead becomes a true national asset for all Nigerians.”
