General
Groups Insist Buhari Must Sack Mele Kyari for ‘Gross Incompetence’
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
President Muhammadu Buhari has again been asked to immediately sack the Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, Mr Mele Kyari, “for gross incompetence.”
This call was made by the Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) and allied civil society groups under the aegis of the Coalition of the National Civil Society Organisations (CNCSOs).
In a statement made available to Business Post, the group said the comments made by Mr Kyari have continued to justify that he should be removed from his position because he is leading the organisation in the old way despite the change of identity.
In the statement jointly signed by the Secretary General of CNPP, Mr Willy Ezugwu, and the National Secretary of CNCSOs, Mr Ali Abacha, it was stated that “the only option left for the NNPC GCEO Mallam Mele Kyari is to resign forthwith.”
The groups were reacting to media reports credited to Mr Kyari that the NNPC should not be blamed for the persistent smuggling of petroleum products across the borders and his claims that his life was being threatened for working to reform Nigeria’s oil sector.
They said by “blaming continued smuggling of petroleum products on sustained corrupt subsidy regime, with no individual or company undergoing diligent prosecution, the NNPC has proved beyond reasonable doubts that the management team of the company needs immediate replacement as they have run out of profitable ideas.”
“Today, the perennial petroleum products scarcity occasioned by corruption and incompetence on the part of the NNPC management team led by Mallam Kyari remains an ugly part of the daily lives of poor masses in Nigeria who cannot afford a single meal per day due to high cost of food and other basic needs.
“Out of experience, Nigerians are aware that any marginal increase in the pump price of petroleum products results in an obvious increase in food prices as the movement of goods from one location to another depends largely on road transportation.
“This is why the secret in the pump price of petrol, and non-availability of fuel at most fillings stations, including those operated by the NNPC, remain the indelible footprints of incompetent managers of Nigeria’s petroleum resources.
“We were shocked that while speaking at a summit organised by the House of Representatives Committee on Anti-Corruption, Mallam Kyari insinuated that `as long as arbitrage is there, you will continue to have these issues and you cannot hold NNPC accountable for it because it is a value chain that involves everything and everybody.`
“This obvious expression of helplessness by the GCEO of NNPC Limited is the highest level of the display of incompetence by the managers of Nigeria’s oil industry, as leadership is all about taking responsibility and providing solutions to challenges.
“The trademark of the NNPC has been the manufacturing of excuses. Is NNPC saying that they cannot set up a monitoring team and systems that will ensure that fuel lifted from their depots is delivered at the assigned destination in this computer age?
“Recently, the same NNPC blamed fuel scarcity in the country on the flooding of Lokoja, the Kogi State capital. Today, the company has returned to the age-long tale of blaming smuggling for fuel scarcity, even when the Federal Government has all the security apparatuses to arrest such trends should there be such sabotage.
“The question is; why has NNPC not initiated any new refinery project if it thinks that fuel subsidy is a major problem?” the statement said.
On the alleged threats to his life by those who are opposed to changes caused by the implementation of the Petroleum Industry Act, the coalition said, “the GCEO of NNPC gave himself out when he said that “There is a threat to life, I can say this, I have several death threats, but we are not bothered about this”.
“We, therefore, challenge the GCEO of the NNPC to make public any evidence of such threats to his life or present the same to security agencies if indeed the threat to his life narrative is not another round of fabrication to seek public sympathy by shading crocodile tears.
“Why would those behind such a criminal act as a threat to the life of an occupier of such an important position in Nigeria’s economy not be apprehended and brought to book so that the country can reap the benefits of the Petroleum Industry Act?
“We recall that the NNPC has been severally accused of failing to meet Nigeria’s OPEC quota in the international oil market, which the company conveniently blamed on oil thieves.
“When accused of not refining Petroleum products locally, the NNPC management resorted to the known wasteful venture referred to as a Turn-Around-Maintenance of existing Nigeria’s refineries.
“Since the life of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration, Nigeria’s refineries remained comatose with no plans to build any new one because the huge budgets for subsidy and maintenance of irredeemable refineries end up in private pockets.
“Needless to mention the numerous uninvestigated allegations of non-remittances of oil revenues to the Treasury Single Account (TSA), subsidy payments without appropriation, illegal oil swap deals and sales, among economic sabotage from within.
“These are among the cases the incoming administration must confront to uncover the hands behind these dirty deals and sanitise the oil sector after May 29, 2023,” the groups stated.
By Modupe Gbadeyanka
President Bola Tinubu on Saturday confirmed the killing of a senior ISIS leader, Mr Abu-Bilal Al-Manuki, in an overnight operation carried out by the United States and Nigeria.
President Donald Trump had earlier announced the elimination of the notorious terrorist via a post on his Truth Social.
Later, in a statement today, Mr Tinubu praised the action, describing it as “a significant example of effective collaboration in the fight against terrorism.”
“Our determined Nigerian Armed Forces, working closely with the Armed Forces of the United States, conducted a daring joint operation that dealt a heavy blow to the ranks of the Islamic State,” he said in the statement.
According to him, early assessments confirm the elimination of the wanted IS senior leader, Abu-Bilal Al-Manuki, also known as Abu-Mainok, along with several of his lieutenants, during a strike on his compound in the Lake Chad Basin.
He commended the partnership between Nigeria and America in waging war against terrorists, thanking his US counterpart “for his leadership and unwavering support in this effort.”
“I commend the personnel involved on both sides for their professionalism and courage, and I look forward to more decisive strikes against all terrorist enclaves across the nation,” the Nigerian leader added.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Nigeria is set to strengthen its defence architecture by deploying artificial intelligence-powered surveillance systems and advanced anti-drone technology as part of efforts to modernise the country’s military capabilities, according to the Minister of Defence, Mr Christopher Musa.
He disclosed this during a high-level visit to Monaco, where he led a Nigerian delegation to conclude discussions on the multi-domain Hybrid Intelligence Shield (HIS) project.
According to Mr Musa, the initiative is designed to enhance border security, protect urban centres and improve the country’s response to emerging security threats.
The project is expected to introduce AI-driven surveillance systems capable of identifying threats rapidly through smart algorithms, while anti-drone technology will be deployed to intercept and neutralise unmanned aerial threats.
The government also plans to establish national and regional command-and-control centres to improve real-time coordination and response to security incidents across the country.
Mr Musa said the initiative would place strong emphasis on technology transfer and local capacity development through the establishment of a military Centre of Excellence in Nigeria.
He added that the federal government would leverage partnerships with international firms, including Marss UK Ltd, while simultaneously building indigenous capabilities to address insurgency, illegal mining, piracy and other security threats.
Nigeria has continued to battle multiple security challenges in recent years, including insurgency in the North-East, banditry and kidnappings in the North-West, farmer-herder clashes in the North-Central region, crude oil theft in the Niger Delta and piracy in the Gulf of Guinea.
Nigeria is stepping up its defence as the border region of Nigeria, Benin and Niger on the southern edge of the Sahel region is becoming a new stronghold for jihadists, as militants turn forests and pastoral networks in West Africa into bases for recruitment and international attacks.
Attacks in Nigeria have also risen, with data from the website of the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data (ACLED), a conflict-monitoring group, affirming that the number of suicide bombings in Nigeria by March already matched the annual average over the past six years.
The Nigerian military has also been dealt a blow to its military bases and senior figures targeted. In April, Brigadier-General Oseni Omoh Braimah was killed when Islamist fighters attacked a base in Borno State.
To also meet the defence goal, Nigeria is stepping up efforts to build domestic arms-manufacturing capacity.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Nigeria and Morocco are set to sign a major intergovernmental agreement later this year to push forward the long-delayed Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline project, a multi-billion-dollar energy corridor expected to reshape gas trade across West Africa and Europe.
The agreement, expected to be signed in the fourth quarter of 2026 by President Bola Tinubu and King Mohammed VI of Morocco, follows the completion of preliminary technical studies for the ambitious project, according to officials from both countries.
The pipeline, also known as the African Atlantic Gas Pipeline, is projected to stretch about 6,900 kilometres along offshore and onshore routes across West Africa, making it one of the largest gas infrastructure projects on the continent.
With an estimated cost of $25 billion, the pipeline is designed to transport up to 30 billion cubic metres of gas annually once completed.
Discussions on the project gained fresh momentum during a telephone conversation between Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, and her Moroccan counterpart, Mr Nasser Bourita.
The project would not only strengthen energy cooperation between the two countries but also improve regional economic integration and expand Africa’s access to European energy markets.
According to Morocco’s hydrocarbons and mining agency, ONHYM, part of the gas supply will support Morocco’s domestic energy demand, while large export volumes will be directed to Europe.
The project, first proposed about a decade ago, is seen as a strategic alternative gas supply route amid rising global energy security concerns and Europe’s search for more diversified energy sources.
Beyond the pipeline, Nigeria and Morocco are also exploring broader economic partnerships, particularly in fertiliser production and distribution to support food security across Africa.
Both countries also agreed on the need to revive the Nigeria-Morocco Business Council to strengthen trade and investment relations under the African Continental Free Trade Area framework.
Analysts noted that the project could significantly boost gas monetisation opportunities for Nigeria, expand regional infrastructure development, and deepen economic ties between West African nations and Europe if successfully executed.
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