Ministry pledges response to petition
Over 400 anti-corruption lawyers stormed the office of the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) in Abuja yesterday, demanding the immediate probe of Mele Kyari, the erstwhile Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL).
 
Following the protest, the AGF and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), assured Nigerians that Kyari would be investigated as demanded. The lawyers, under the aegis of the Guardians of Democracy and Rule of Law, said they were out to rid the nation of corruption, especially in the oil industry, where Kyari and his allies sold the country for a pittance.
 
According to a petition co-signed by Emmanuel Agada and Jonathan Uchendu, the lawyers lamented that Kyari’s leadership of the NNPCL was plagued with countless allegations of corruption, which were reportedly made inevitable by the opaque way he ran the organisation.
 
The lawyers cited the controversy surrounding the rehabilitation and re-streaming of government-owned refineries, where billions of dollars were spent, but the figures do not add up.
 
The petition highlighted the case of Matrix Energy Limited, which allegedly invested $400 million in the rehabilitation of the Port Harcourt Refinery, even as the Federal Executive Council (FEC) had approved $1.5 billion for the repairs of the same facility.   NNPCL reportedly owes Matrix Energy more than $2 billion. The debt is serviced through daily crude oil allocations to Matrix.
 
The lawyers demanded the review of all agreements entered into by the NNPCL under Kyari, an investigation into the questionable transactions, and an inquiry into the NNPCL’s handling of the refineries’ repairs under Kyari.
 
They vowed to continue their agitation until Kyari is brought to justice and the truth about the alleged corruption is uncovered.
  “Guardians of Democracy and Rule of Law strongly believe that getting to the root of this matter will help the Federal Government to account for how public resources were squandered on the controversial refineries’ repairs undertaken under the Kyari leadership.
 
“Given the facts stated above, we request the AGF to immediately review all agreements entered into by the NNPCL under the Kyari administration. An investigation into the questionable transactions would also point the government in the direction of what funds to recover and from whom, which is sorely needed now, considering Nigeria’s economic condition,” they stated. 
 
A deputy director of the Federal Ministry of Justice, Winifred Adekunle, assured the lawyers, on behalf of the AGF, that she would submit the petition to the appropriate quarters for immediate action.
 
Yesterday marked the second day of protests by Nigerians at the AGF’s office, demanding Kyari’s probe over allegations of corruption. On Tuesday, a group of protesters under the banner of Concerned Citizens Against Corruption stormed the AGF’s office, calling for a thorough investigation into Kyari and NNPCL’s transactions over the past five years.