The Committee Against Bad Governance (CABG) has asked President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to relieve the Group Managing Director (GMD) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) Mele Kyari of his position.
The group in a press conference addressed by its Convener, Malam Mohammed Bello in Abuja stated that the “clout chasing gambit of the GMD is undoubtedly hurting the nation’s economy” rather than the Dangote Plc, a company that has taken it upon itself to redeem the nation that has been in the throes of energy crisis, intense turmoil and emergency since 1999.
According to the group, statistics have revealed that since 1999, trillions of Naira have been wasted on Turn-Around Maintenance (TAM) on the nation’s four refineries by successive governments from Chief Olusegun Obasanjo’s to the present government.
Evidence, they said, abound on how oil portfolio mafias without identifiable offices and NNPC top echelon have connived with foreign countries to sabotage and reap off the nation’s oil wealth unto the bargain.
“The Nigerian government has spent $25 billion on refinery rehabilitation between 2013 and 2023. Additionally, the government has spent N11.35 trillion on contracts to rehabilitate the four refineries since 2010.
“The four state-owned refineries in Nigeria, located in Kaduna, Port Harcourt, and Warri, have been out of operation since 2019,” the group stated.
Bello noted that this has forced the government to import crude oil for refining, which has negatively impacted the country’s fuel supply and economic stability.
He said: “The NNPC’s promise that all local refineries will be operational by December 2024 is another tale by moonlight. This importation has taken a toll on the country’s fuel supply and economic stability. The NNPCL has promised to have all local refineries operational by December 2024, but it remains to be seen if they’ll meet this deadline.”
The group stated further that the Port Harcourt refinery had a $1.5 billion rehabilitation contract that was awarded to Italy’s Tecnimont SPA in 2021.
The refinery, the group said, has a capacity of 210,000 barrels per day and is expected to be restored to 90 per cent of its design capacity by the end of 2025.
“The Kaduna and Warri refineries were contracted out in the sum of $1.484 billion and were awarded to Saipem SPA and Saipem Contracting Limited for rehabilitation.
“Despite the alleged maintenance, the refineries have faced process inefficiency and a lack of durable maintenance, leading to Nigeria’s reliance on imports of refined petroleum products,” the body lamented.
CABG argues that the trouble with the NNPCL and its agents, namely the Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) and the Petroleum Tanker Owners Association of Nigeria (PETROAN) are now grappling with the new reality in the petroleum industry.
“With the abrogation of the fuel subsidy regime that has solely profited the rich rather than the downtrodden mass of Nigerians, NNPCL has suddenly realised that its years of monopoly and the industry’s stagnation have come to an end,” the group said.
