Arewa Youths And Their Irresponsible Demand On Mele Kyari -By Adewole Kehinde

I was shocked to read in the National Daily the demands by the Arewa Youths that the GCEO of NNPCL, Mele Kyari, should resign over a fraud allegation.

I see their demand as baseless and unfounded because there was no substance in the reported case of stolen crude oil worth over $2.5b that was found hidden in China, which propelled the investigation by the ad hoc committee.

The allegation in its own right is devoid of any reasonable ground pointing to a material suspicion cogent enough to invoke the constitutional oversight of the National Assembly committee.

I wish to remind the so-called Arewa youths that for there to be a reasonable ground for suspicion, at least, you require certain basic facts. The basic details of the existence of the product and connecting it to Nigeria were not there at all.

The vessel that took it and the particulars and details of the vessel were not available at the disposal of the Federal Government.

So the issue is simple. There were no reasonable grounds for suspicion of the fact that the purported oil product either exists in spirit, exists in fact, or indeed exists in China, and it is in no way connected to Nigeria. And all efforts on the federal government’s part to get details have proven abortive.

Till today, nobody has provided detailed information to confirm the existence and origin of the shipment, such as a sample of the oil, the vessel involved, the loading point, or the location of the crude in China.

Unfortunately, the so-called Arewa Youths could believe the unverified news by Sahara Reporters that marketers were asked to pay $100,000 known as “System Money” to access cheap gasoline.

The allegation is unfounded. It lacks merit and, indeed, substance, and the Chief Corporate Communications Officer of the NNPCL, Garba Deen Muhammad, has also described the allegations as false.

Muhammad said only applicants that had “PMS outlets” were given allocations of AGO.

He said, “The allegations are completely false. Only applicants that have PMS outlets are given an allocation of AGO. No outlet, no AGO allocation.

“Depot owners that do not have outlets are not given allocations. Thus, using the possession of outlets as a major criterion for the allocation of AGO, it is possible that those applicants who do not qualify and are therefore not given allocation may have felt aggrieved enough to make those false allegations.

“Therefore, tell the marketer whose name you withheld, or any other marketer that has made such allegations, to come forward and present evidence to support his or her allegation, if they are truthful.”

“Finally, we call on all our partners and all Nigerians to bear in mind that NNPC Ltd. is a law-abiding and responsible business organization that does not tolerate fraudulent conduct.” “That is why, as a matter of principle, we publish our annual financial statement for public appraisal, Garba Deen Muhammad said.

I want to remind the so-called Arewa Youth and its sponsors that no amount of mass protest threats will shake the focused and accountable Mele Kyari and its management team.

It is high time all Nigerians and lovers of integrity stood up to support the accountability and transparency Mele Kyari and its management have brought to the NNPC Ltd., as no court of law has indicted Mele Kyari and its management to date.

Adewole Kehinde is an energy expert and public affairs analyst based in Abuja. 08166240846] kennyadewole@abrahamweindorfe