A Coalition of civil societies organizations (CSOs) has condemned what it described as deliberate campaign of calumny against the immediate past Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation limited (NNPCL), Engr Mele Kyari.
Rising from an emergency meeting in Abuja on Friday, the CSOs, said Mele Kyari should be commended for his outstanding performance in view of the numerous reforms he enunciated during his tenure.
Speaking at a press conference addressed by Comrade Igwe Ude-Umanta, the Coalition insisted that the Borno born technocrat deserves all the praises for successfully battling oil theft moving crude production from less than 1million bpd to about 2 million bpd before the end of his meritorious services to the nation.
Ude-Umanta further noted that Kyari led NNPCL ensured the transformations that led to the take off of local refining and the coming on stream of the decades-long moribund local public refineries as part of the successes recorded under his tenure.
The Coalition argued that the mere fact that campaign to undermine Kyari’s achievement was rubbished by the stakeholders of the Petroleum Industry, including: the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association (PENGASSAN), Nigeria Union of Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) reinforces its stance.
The Coalition comprising members of the Conference by Empowerment for Unemployed Youth Initiative and Civil Society Groups on Transparency in Governance, frowned at mischief-makers hiding under non-existent organisations bent on tainting Kyari’s character, because they believe that many Nigerians can be swayed with blackmail against him for no just cause.
“Even President Bola Ahmed Tinubu who is not only the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, but also the Minister of Petroleum acknowledged and hailed the sterling achievements of Kyari. What can be more than this?,” they noted.
“It is important to remind the so called Concerned Citizens Against Corruption that Malam Kyari was not sacked, but ended decades of meritorious service with applause.
“It ended on a compulsory retirement time which is known. Let us reiterate that Mallam Kyari is aware that he can be called upon to render an account of his stewardship.
“We had thought that in their claim that billions was spent to rehabilitate the refineries, they should have been bold to insist that the refineries repairs failed. Where are the specifics in their allegations?
“What is their main issue except a mirage that they can get that attention of Mallam Kyari? These shenanigans followed Kyari’s tenure, especially since 2023. It was thought to be all politics about change of leadership. Thankfully, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu kept faith with him, having understood his achievements, vision and trajectory.
“This trend is now disturbing because the man has served his term meritorious, joining the pantheon of generational transformative public officers and national economic revolutionaries. But the fact is that facts are stubborn things. Nobody can change the fact of the records of Mallam Kyari.”
The Coalition thereby challenged Kyari’s adversaries to a face-to-face debate if they are convinced about their claims within the next 2 weeks.