The Niger Delta Youth Congress (NDYC) has condemned calls to probe Mele Kyari, the immediate-past group chief executive officer (GCEO) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited.
Earlier in the month, President Bola Tinubu appointed Bayo Ojulari to replace Kyari, with Ahmadu Musa Kida also appointed as NNPC’s non-executive chairman, replacing Pius Akinyelure.
In a statement by Israel Uwejeyan, its national coordinator, NDYC described the call to probe Kyari by some socio-political groups as an “orchestrated campaign of calumny” designed to discredit the former NNPCL chief’s achievements in office.
Uwajeyan said Kyari provided stability and strategic leadership during his tenure at NNPCL.
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The NDYC said Kyari made several achievements during his leadership, including the “transformation of the NNPCL into a commercially-oriented entity, rehabilitation of refineries through public-private partnerships, combating oil theft through strategic security collaborations, advancing the Decade of Gas initiative, attracting international investment, and implementing digital modernization across operations”.
According to the youth organisation, accusations regarding secretive debt arrangements with third-party companies demonstrate a fundamental misunderstanding of standard petroleum trading practices.
The NDYC maintained that oil-lifting contracts and similar agreements are standard industry instruments subject to regulatory oversight.
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Uwejeyan urged Lateef Fagbemi, attorney-general of the federation and minister of justice, to disregard what it termed a “sponsored circus” against Kyari, suggesting that his leadership should be studied as an exemplary case of corporate transformation and energy sector development.
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