Coalition backs Falana, demands explanation on $2.9b approved for refineries

A coalition of civil society groups has amplified the question raised by foremost human rights lawyer, Chief Femi Falana (SAN), over the $2.9 billion released for the rehabilitation of the three local refineries in Nigeria.

The coalition, made up of about 145 groups, is calling on the Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL), Mele Kyari, to come out, as requested by Falana, and explain to Nigerians how the funds were expended, and to clarify whether there was any diversion of funds, as alleged by the legal icon.

It has been widely reported that the cumulative sum of $2.9 billion was, at different times, released to the NNPCL to rehabilitate the ailing Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna refineries and put them into crude oil production, either in their original capacities or, at best, to increase the original standards.

Despite receiving the funds, which translates to trillions in naira, the Warri and Kaduna refineries remain comatose, while the NNPCL has opened the primary section of the Port Harcourt refinery for blending, leaving the larger section, with a large capacity, nonfunctional.

The fiery human rights activist, Falana, irked by many conflicting reports from the Port Harcourt refinery and the inability of NNPCL to address Nigerians on the genuine state of affairs, confronted the management last week in Lagos, during the commissioning of the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) Tower.

“I challenge NUPENG and PENGASSAN to tell Nigerians the actual state of the refineries. Only 60,000 barrels per day are being blended, while NNPCL is silent on the remaining 150,000 bpd, as well as on the Warri and Kaduna refineries.

“NNPCL has not explained to Nigerians why the $2.9 billion earmarked for the refineries has been diverted,” Falana had said in his remarks.

In a statement on Wednesday by the spokesperson of the coalition, Otunba Olaosebikan Aremu, the CSOs wondered why Kyari or any of his delegated officials have not come out to answer the questions raised by Falana in Lagos State, one week after.

“We have been waiting, with great expectations, that the Group Chief Executive Officer of the NNPCL, Mr. Mele Kyari, or any of his agents would come out to reply to the erudite lawyer and human rights activist, Chief Femi Falana, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria. But to our greatest chagrin, no comment has been issued on this account.

“The NNPCL, as usual, has kept us in the dark. Nigerians demand answers to the questions raised by their lawyer. We want to know if the amount received by the NNPCL is actually $2.9 billion or if it is more or less than that. We want to know what has happened to the funds. Tell us if it was actually diverted, as posited by Falana. If the money was properly utilized, come out and give Nigerians an account of how it was expended.

READ ALSO:

“Come out and explain to us why the Warri and Kaduna refineries are still not working. Tell us the dates we should expect their reopening. Tell us why the Port Harcourt refinery, which is claimed to be in operation, is still being regarded by stakeholders and the host community as a ‘blending plant.’ Tell Nigerians why the Port Harcourt refinery was only blending 60,000 barrels of crude oil per day, while the 150,000 bpd capacity is abandoned. Tell us when to expect the secondary segment, which has the larger capacity, to be put into operation.

“Let Kyari also tell Nigerians why the Port Harcourt refinery was said to have shut down operations shortly after it was opened, leaving only its non-petroleum unit running, which is the Crude Distillation Unit (CDU). Why did stakeholders and the host community exclaim that the CDU could only produce naphtha, kerosene, and diesel but cannot produce the component needed for Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), also known as petrol?

“All these questions and many more are begging for answers from Kyari and his team. They should not play the usual silent game, hoping we’ll forget it in days. They’re public officers and owe us accountability. They should also respect our president, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and do the needful, because the complaints from the masses are massive, and we don’t want anything that will discredit the good intentions of Mr. President,” the statement read.

The coalition added that members of the civil society organizations shall not hesitate to occupy the streets of Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna “if these questions are not attended to, and to the satisfaction of Nigerians, too.”