Mr. President, Sacking Kyari Is Not Enough!” — CNPP, CSOs Tell Tinubu, Demand Arrest, Forensic Audit and Public Probe of NNPCL Over Missing ₦210 Trillion and Oil Sector Corruption
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In a fiery and emotionally charged World Press Conference held in Abuja on Sunday, the Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) and a coalition of over 75 Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) operating under the Coalition of National Civil Society Organisations (CNCSOs) issued a powerful message to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu: “Mr. President, sacking Mele Kyari is not enough!”
Speaking to a packed hall of journalists, civil society stakeholders, diplomats, and development partners, the National Publicity Secretary of the CNCSOs, Dr. Agaba Iduh Fidel, delivered the statement on behalf of the CNPP and the CSOs coalition.
The coalition called for immediate, decisive, and far-reaching actions against Mele Kyari and his entire sacked NNPCL management team over what it described as “historic levels of corruption, reckless mismanagement, and brazen abuse of public trust in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector.”
“Mr. President, we stand by your zeal to clean up the oil sector, ensure enduring reforms, and institute a process of accountability in NNPCL,” Dr. Iduh began, acknowledging Tinubu’s bold decision to sack Kyari and his management team.
But the coalition quickly made it clear that while Tinubu’s action was a welcome first step, Nigerians expected much more.
“We acknowledge the fundamental step of relieving Mele Kyari and his management team from office. It was a bold statement that your administration has made—that it is no longer business as usual in the oil and gas sector. However, let it be clear: Mere sacking is not enough! Nigerians are not looking for window-dressing reforms; they demand full accountability, forensic audits, judicial probes, and prosecutions. Anything short of this will be a betrayal of your own Renewed Hope Agenda,” Dr. Iduh declared.
A Long Trail of Unanswered Scandals
The coalition didn’t hold back as it reeled out a disturbing list of unresolved corruption scandals that occurred under Kyari’s watch.
Dr. Iduh recalled how, back in 2021, the CNPP and several civil society organizations had exposed the fraudulent recruitment of 487 new staff at the non-operational Port Harcourt Refinery. Despite the refinery generating zero income, billions of naira were spent on administrative expenses and salaries.
“We questioned how and why taxpayers’ money was spent on salaries and overheads for a facility that was completely shut down. We warned at the time that this was nothing but a fraudulent payroll expansion scheme meant to siphon public funds. Sadly, it fell on deaf ears,” he said.
The coalition also highlighted NNPCL’s refusal to respond to Freedom of Information (FOI) requests submitted between April and May 2025. The FOI requests demanded full contract disclosure, identification of contractors and beneficiaries, as well as clear project milestones on the over $4 billion reportedly spent on refinery rehabilitation projects.
“Instead of transparency, Nigerians got stonewalling and evasion from both the Buhari government and the NNPCL under Mele Kyari’s infamous leadership,” Dr. Iduh lamented.
On the issue of fuel subsidy scams and the importation of adulterated fuel in 2024, the coalition again expressed outrage, saying ordinary Nigerians bore the brunt of increased fuel prices, vehicular damage, and inflation—all while NNPCL continued business as usual.
Dr. Iduh accused the Kyari-led management of deliberately sabotaging Nigeria’s local refining capacity to sustain a fuel importation cabal that profits at the expense of national economic sovereignty.
The ₦210 Trillion Scandal: Nigeria’s Worst Financial Calamity?
The latest scandal—the ₦210 trillion in unreconciled transactions flagged in NNPCL’s audited financial statements between 2017 and 2023—was described by the coalition as a “financial calamity of historic proportions.”
Dr. Iduh strongly condemned the explanation offered by NNPCL’s Chief Financial Officer, Adedapo Segun, who attributed the missing funds to Joint Venture (JV) cash calls.
“This is not a minor discrepancy. This is not a mere accounting oversight as they want Nigerians to believe. This is a staggering financial heist that requires immediate forensic investigation,” Dr. Iduh declared.
“And to make matters worse, NNPCL’s current management insulted the intelligence of Nigerians by failing to appear before the Senate Committee on Public Accounts just this past Thursday. Instead, they prioritized a management retreat. This is unacceptable and a slap in the face of accountability!”
Dr. Iduh called on the National Assembly to immediately summon both the current NNPCL management and the sacked Kyari-led management team to answer for the missing funds.
A Catalogue of Financial Atrocities
In addition to the ₦210 trillion scandal, the coalition listed other damning audit findings and red flags.
These include the $6.9 billion unremitted to the Federation Account as reported by NEITI, $7.1 billion flagged in questionable crude oil swap deals under the Direct Sale Direct Purchase (DSDP) arrangement, and ₦2.68 trillion plus $9.77 million reportedly missing as revealed by the Auditor-General of the Federation.
Dr. Iduh also referenced the ongoing EFCC investigation into a $7.2 billion refinery rehabilitation scam, for which several former NNPCL executives have been arrested, but Mele Kyari, at the center of it all, remains untouched.
“We’re forced to ask, is Mele Kyari above the law? Is he under perpetual immunity from investigation and prosecution?” he asked.
The coalition also raised the unresolved case of the infamous 48 million barrels of Bonny Light crude oil allegedly stolen and sold to foreign buyers in China in 2015, when Kyari was Group General Manager, Crude Oil Marketing Division.
“Nigerians still await answers: Who authorized the sale? Where did the proceeds go? And why has there been no recovery or prosecution till date?” Dr. Iduh demanded.
The Coalition’s Clear Message to Tinubu
While expressing hope in President Tinubu’s reformist agenda, the coalition issued a stern warning that Nigerians were watching to see if the president would match words with action.
“Mr. President, your anti-corruption credentials are now on trial. We know you are determined to reform the oil and gas sector. But the only way to prove that is to go beyond sacking,” Dr. Iduh said.
“A forensic audit, a public judicial panel of inquiry, the immediate release of all JV cash call documentation, a full-scale investigation into the 48 million barrels crude oil theft, and the uncompromised arrest and prosecution of Mele Kyari and his sacked team are non-negotiable steps Nigerians expect.”
Dr. Iduh stressed that these measures were necessary if President Tinubu’s quest for a $1 trillion Nigerian economy by 2030 was to be realized.
“Mr. President, this is the time to act. The world is watching. Nigerians are watching. And history will judge your administration by the choices you make in the coming days.”
21-Day Ultimatum: A Nation Holds Its Breath
The coalition concluded by issuing a 21-day ultimatum to the Tinubu administration. If the government fails to act within the timeframe, the CNPP and CSOs promised to escalate their campaign.
They vowed to mobilize Nigerians nationwide for mass protests, file petitions to international anti-corruption agencies and donor institutions, take legal action against the Federal Government and NNPCL, and launch global media campaigns to expose more hidden rot in Nigeria’s oil sector.
“At this juncture, we must state clearly that we are not fighting personalities. We are fighting a system that enables impunity. It is about the economic survival of Nigeria, the livelihood of millions of poor citizens, and the future of our children and generations yet unborn,” Dr. Iduh concluded.
With this strong warning, the coalition left no doubt that the coming days will test the true depth of President Tinubu’s commitment to genuine reforms and accountability in Nigeria’s most critical economic sector.
