Like AGF report, the clever scandal ended Kyari's reign

… Nigerian demand a full probe

In a month, Mele Kyari changed from the Almighty personality who decided who, as the group board member of the billion dollar pipeline, was examined by a man who was suspended by work and the abuse of the office and interdependency of funds.

Kyari took over the management of the NNPC in 2019 and inherited a giant that was plagued by inefficiency, opacity and allegations of corruption.

He promised to transform the company into a transparent and commercially viable unit. For his honor, he supervised the publication of the certified conclusion of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) for the first time in decades, a step that was widely praised as a step in the right direction.

As part of his observation, Nigeria in 2021 passed a law on the petroleum industry (PIA), a pioneering law to revise the oil and gas industry, to extract investments and increase state income.

However, these successes were overshadowed by a number of persistent problems that continued to move the sector. One of the most urgent problems was the detailed maintenance of the four refineries of Nigeria, which they were poorer than she and her managers are richer than they should have been.

Also read: Kyari breaks the silence and denies the EFCC arrest

Refineries the flop

In 2021, Kyari announced that the government approved 1.5 billion US dollars for the rehabilitation of the port -Harcourt -Raffinerie with the promise to be completed by 2023. Similar rehabilitation projects were announced for the refineries by Warri and Kaduna, with billions of dollars being assigned. Over the years, however, the refineries remained largely not functional. The final data was repeatedly pushed back and the Nigerians became more and more frustrated about the situation.

The refineries finally saw activities again when they showed the operations again in November and December 2024. However, the restart turned out to be closed from a short permanent than one month after the reopening, the Warri-Raffinerie had to be closed again from security problems.

Despite its highly best-known revival, the port harcours had difficulties operating with half a capacity, and has been under 40 percent efficiency since its much-related rehabilitation.

The failure to revive the refineries fails to accuse the embezzlement of funds and the distraction of the income.

The examination report presents NNPC to redirect N514BN

A report by the office of the Federation Auditor General (AGF) revealed at least four important financial violations of 514 billion N in the business activity of NNPC under Kyaris.

In one case, the general examiner indicated the state -owned oil company of non -authorized deductions of 82.9 billion n from the income from the Federation for the rehabilitation of the refinery.

The AGF report states that the transactions mentioned above were not supported by “evidence of approval and approvals in front of deductions”.

The general auditor said that the anomalies discovered in the accounts of the NNPC could be due to the embezzlement of funds, the distraction of the income for the Federation and the loss of income from the Federation.

BusinessDay's finding showed the deductions of finds Violated Section 162 (1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as Amended) What States: “The Federation Shall Maintain A Special Account To Be Called 'The Fedation Account' Into What Shall Be Paid All Revenues Collected The Government of the Federation, Except The Proceeders From The Personal Income Tax of the Personnel of the Federation, The Nigeria Police Force, The Ministry or Department of Government Chared with responsibility for foreign matters and the residents of the Federal Head of the City Area.

The alleged violations include irregular deductions worth 343.64 billion n from the domestic raw body in source, storage of 83.66 billion n from the various income of the federation on a falling fund account and the unfounded payment of 3.75 billion N 3.75 billion N from the sale of gasoline.

Trillion-naira subsidies

The subsidies reached under Kyari's guard and reached trillion Naira every year. For example, the nation spent around 154 billion N for fuel grants in 2019. By the end of 2022, however, it was reported that the fuel subsidy made 4 trillion N in N4 this year alone.

Critics stated that the subsidy program with fraud was interspersed with bloated import figures and fictional claims.

Also read: NNPC sacks Mele Kyaris allies in greater restructuring

Raw theft

Another big challenge in Kyari's term was the problem of crude oil theft. Nigeria has long dealed with the problem of illegal bunker and pipeline vandalism, but the extent of the problem has achieved alarming proportions in recent years. It was estimated that Nigeria lost hundreds of thousands of crude oil against theft per day, which led to significant loss of income for the country.

The threat of oil theft not only influenced Nigeria's sales, but also its production capacity. Due to the activities of vandals and thieves, many oil companies were forced to close or reduce production. This led to a decline in Nigeria's oil production, which further tightens the country's economic problems.

When Kyari's term came to an end, the shouting became louder after accountability.

Nigerian's demand probe

Alex Nnaemeka, an economist, said that anti-graft agencies such as the Commission for Economic and Financial Crimes (EFCC) and the independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) have to go beyond the investigation at the surface level.

He emphasized the need to identify accomplices that are still identified in the active service and rinse to clean the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and serve as a deterrent for others.

According to him, the situation demands that all suspects be taken into custody out of national interest.

“Hopefully you cooperate and if you are found guilty, you pay for your crimes,” he added.

An expert from the energy sector, who dealt with the situation, not only described the development events worryingly, but as a damn indictment against systemic failure in the oil sector Nigeria.

The expert argued that the repairs examined could have been used by $ 2.96 billion for repairs for refineries to build at least two brand new modular refineries with modern technology and higher output efficiency.

He condemned the recent discovery of 80 billion N in a personal bank account associated with one of the suspects, and called it a clear sign of internal control errors and regulatory faults.

He criticized the government's earlier story that the refineries resume the operations with a capacity of 70 percent and described claims such as political theater.

According to the field reports and statements by the plant staff, the facilities have largely not remained functional.

The lack of catalytic reform systems in both Warri and Port Harcourt refineries, which are essential for the production of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), makes it structurally unable to produce production.

The expert blamed this for poor project planning and misleading public communication.

Godwin Ekpe, an economic analyst, condemned the decision to rehabilitate decades -old refineries without first ensuring the availability of raw cost pipelines.

He pointed out that the refineries would never be viable without functional initial infrastructure, such as the Escravos-to-Kaduna pipeline.

Ekpe said that a more strategic option would have been to build smaller modular refineries that were tailored to Nigeria's current market requirements.

He called for a critical review of the role of the NNPCL and Kyari and found a pattern of public deception, financial mismanagement and media manipulation.

He asked the government not only to carry out a forensic examination not only the selected funds, but also the procurement process, the commitment of the contractor and the project milestones.

Ekweribe Odo, analyst for public affairs, found that the persistent crisis will be further reinforced by the threat of a strike of the support employee.

He said that the government's inability to fulfill basic obligations towards their employees at the forefront reveals deeply rooted questions in project regulation and in stakeholders management.

Even if the refineries were technically restored, he warned that their long -term sustainability would be questioned.

Odo argued that the scandal was a symbol for wider guidance, integrity and vision error.

Without comprehensive reforms, independent supervision and a real commitment to transparency, he warned that the oil sector risk in Nigeria remains trapped in a cycle of waste, inefficiency and public betrayal.

Also read: Tinubu Sacks Mele Kyari, appoint Bayo Ojulari to the NNPC CEO

Kyari's answer

Kyari said on Saturday that he served Nigeria with the fear of God and was ready to explain his administration.

“I have to emphasize that I have served with fear of God and know exactly as a Muslim that if I have not taken into account in front of humans, I am certainly taken into account in front of Allah. I am better off to consider the institutions of man. After serving in public property in public property, I am ready and happy to take my administration into account in this world in this world.

He also warned that misleading claims about his term of office could send the wrong signals to investors and the international community.

“In this regard, I ask the media to be careful and avoid being misleading the public with non -checked stories or affairs that require further confirmation by relevant authorities.”