A group of protesters on Tuesday called on the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), to begin an investigation into former NNPCL chief Mele Kyari over a controversial crude-for-loan deal said to be worth over $2 billion.
The group, known as Concerned Citizens Against Corruption, gathered in Abuja, demanding that the government take action against what they described as “years of unchecked mismanagement and shady deals” under Kyari’s leadership at the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL).
Protesters Demand Accountability
The group, led by Kabir Matazu, said they were disappointed that even after Kyari and the entire NNPCL board were removed on April 2 by President Bola Tinubu, no investigation had been launched into the company’s activities during Kyari’s tenure.
According to Matazu, “Kyari’s time in charge of the NNPCL was filled with reports of corruption and a lack of transparency. Nigerians were happy when the board was removed, but now we want to know what happened to the money and deals made during those years.”
Questions Over Refinery Funding
The group pointed to a troubling issue involving the repair of the Port Harcourt Refinery. They claimed that the government had already approved $1.5 billion for the project, yet Kyari also stated that Matrix Energy invested $400 million into the same project.
“This is confusing,” said Matazu. “Why would there be double funding for the same refinery? Who approved the second amount? What happened to the original funds?”
$2 Billion Crude Debt to Matrix Energy
More worrying, the protesters said, is the report that NNPCL owes Matrix Energy over $2 billion and is paying the debt by giving Matrix daily crude oil deliveries instead of cash.
Furthermore, they questioned why this kind of agreement was allowed and who signed off on it. “This kind of deal should be public knowledge, but Nigerians are being kept in the dark,” Matazu stated.
Call for Immediate Investigation
The group called on the Attorney General to begin a full review of all contracts and agreements made by the NNPCL in the past five years.
Also, they said an investigation could help the government find ways to recover misused funds at a time when the country is facing economic hardship.
Moreover, they insisted that holding past leaders accountable would help ensure the current NNPCL leadership avoids repeating the same mistakes.
“We will not stop until Nigerians get answers,” Matazu said.
The group stressed that they will continue their protests and public campaigns until a proper judicial review is launched.
