***backs Mele Kyari over achievements

Coalition of North and Southern Youth Forum (CNSYF) has called out the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) over its role in the alleged lawsuit against President Bola Tinubu on alleged missing fund of US$15 billion oil revenues, and N200 billion budgeted to repair the refineries in Nigeria between 2020 and 2021.

SERAP had urged President Bola Tinubu to set up a presidential panel of enquiry to probe the allegations contained in the recent reports of Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) that over US$15 billion and another N200 billion are missing and unaccounted for between 2020 and 2021.

However, the coalition made up of over 520,000 groups from ethnic nationalities including religious, professionals and union groups with notable stakeholders cutting across the six geopolitical zones including Niger Delta Ex-militant leaders unanimously agree to give support to the Group Chief Executive Officer, GCEO, Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL, Engr Mele Kyari, a game-changer of the oil and gas sector amid orchestrated blackmails.

President /National Coordinator of the coalition Comrade Emmanuel Fiawei Pathfinder described SERAP action as sheer blackmail to vilify the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited, NNPCL, Engr Mele Kyari.
“This is really a shame for an organization such as SERAP to run to court without concrete evidence to file a so-called lawsuit against Mr President for failure to probe missing fund of US$15 billion oil revenues, and N200 billion budgeted to repair the refineries.

Pathfinder who is also the convenet of the group accused SERAP to have been sponsored by some disgruntled elements who call themselves politicians that are neck-dip inside stealing the nation’s crude oil for self aggrandizement at the detriment of Nigerians.

“SERAP’s stock in trade has been cheap blackmail of government and individuals under the guise of activism.

“They are well known for that and also have allowed itself to become so cheap for these corrupt Nigerians they supposed to fight and expose, therefore, are using them to score cheap political points.

“As far as their allegations and claims are concerned SERAP does not have the evidence to prove their points because they work on hearsays.

“They just want to paint the GCEO of NNPCL, Engr Mele Kyari, in bad light despite his sincere effort to sanitize the oil and gas sector, which had blown off most illicit businesses engaged in by their paymasters.

“We challenge SEPAP to publish their evidences and let the world see them. Definitely, if you fight corruption, corruption will fight back, and that is exactly what SERAP is doing as dirty job for oil thieves.
“It is a pity for SERAP to debase itself by stooping so low because of what they will get at the end of the day.

“It is also important we make it very clear about the 2021 report by the NEITI, SERAP failed to make its background check before running to court.

“With evidence we want the world to know that NEITI made error in publishing the report without due process and verification.
“After NEITI was shown the true figures, they acknowledged their fault and had long apologized over the report SERAP is running with because they are on errand to deliver their tissues of lies to favour their paymasters.

“It is really uncalled for, SERAP has not done well at all to pray the Court to issue a so-called order of mandamus compelling Mr President to do this and that.

“Meanwhile, categorically we state here that the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) had since refuted the report that it failed to remit $15 billion in oil revenues accrued to the Federation’s account.”

Conference of Civil Society Groups For Good Governance (CSGGG) has countered the sustained smear campaign against Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Limited) over rehabilitation as well as surveillance contracts.

The group was reacting to allegations that contracts for the rehabilitation of pipelines across the country were awarded to a “northern oil cabal”

Addressing a press conference in Abuja on Sunday, the President of the group Comrade Domnic Ogakwu indicated that peddling gross misinformation and unsubstantiated allegations on oil pipeline rehabilitation as well as surveillance contracts has now been adopted as a weapon of choice in the hands of the unpatriotic elements. 

Comrade Ogaku enumerated the giant strides of the NNPC limited and called on Nigerians to support the astute leadership of Mele Kyari in the face of unpatriotic and misleading distractions by saboteurs of President Bola Tinubu’s adminiatration.

He said merit was considered in the award of contract, “It is obvious to all well-meaning Nigerians that  some wolves are expending  a lot of negative energies to discredit the Group Chief Executive Officer of the NNPC Limited, Mallam Mele Kyari, in order to push him out of office and have unfettered access to seize and manipulate state resources to their personal advantage. 

“The recent attempts are not new and amount to red herring when there is absolutely no need or iota of facts about the allegations.

“The claim of “quietly awarding the control of Nigeria’s pipelines to a Northern oil cabal” is not only fallacious, figment of the writers and their sponsors’ imagination but cowardly, and begs the question.

According to him, to award such a contract requires tender notices in form of advertisements which were made public for qualified companies to bid. 

“The process for the contracts awards, as has been the case since Mallam Kyari assumed office, remains rigorous in line with industry norms. 

“Each bidding company has been subjected to a competitive tender selection process as guided by the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP), Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission and a transaction advisor. 

“These regulatory institutions had to also work with the Nigeria Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative (NEITI) and the Ministry of Justice in the project development and evaluation exercise.

“So, it stands against reasoning that after such a rigorous process, anything untoward will be suggested by any rational mind.

He listed the winning companies which prove the allegations otherwise as obtained from findings to include,

LOT 1: Oilserve Ltd, Chu Kong Steel Pipe Group Company Ltd, Saudi Crown Oilserve.

LOT 2: MacReady Oil and Gas Services, COBRA Instalicios S.A, Control Y Montajes Industriales & International De Pipelines, Iron Products Industries Ltd, Batelitwin Global Services Ltd, Bauen Empresa Constructora SAU, Sanderton Energy Ltd, The Spanish National Association of Manufacturers.

LOT 3: A A Rano, Zakhem Construction Nigeria, Bablinks Resources Ltd, VAE Controls S.R.O.

LOT 4: MRS Oil and Gas, CPPE Nigeria Ltd,” it added.

“Furthermore, we are not unmindful that some individuals are double bent on creating mountains out of nothing over the award of pipeline surveillance contracts to qualified and performing entities and not them.

“Pipeline surveillance is not a tea party as recent events have shown. Therefore, being an –ex-militant is not enough qualification to be awarded such a critical task. “The priority of NNPC Limited is to ensure a safe and secure oil infrastructure and functional pipeline corridor to sustainably deliver national production targets. 

“There is nothing personal to Mele Kyari and management NNPC Limited, rather than what is possible and best for the country.

“Since his appointment in 2021 by former President Muhammadu Buhari as GCEO of the NNPC Limited, the successor company to the NNPC, Mallam Kyari has been guided by his Roadmap to Global Excellence” anchored on the principles of Transparency, Accountability and Performance Excellence (TAPE).

“In about this period, Nigeria’s oil production has seen significant improvement through the curbing of waves of mindless theft of Nigeria’s oil by criminal elements. 

“This initiative has seen many seizures of tankers laden with illegal crude and the discovery of a four-kilometer illegal oil connection line from Forcados Terminal into the sea which had been in operation for nine years. “Nigerians will not be wrong to believe that beneficiaries of this heinous economic crime will fight back in anyway their influence can afford as their pockets gets dry.

“Today, our country is witnessing spike in oil production to over 1.8 million barrels per day, in addition to regaining our national position as the largest crude oil producer in Africa, ahead of Algeria’s 1.021mb/d and Angola’s 1.088mb/d.

“It remains on record that in 2022, NNPC Limited under the astute leadership of Mele Kyari has for two-consecutive years recorded a profit. 

“Nigerians have seen NNPC making profit for the first time in 44 years. Growing from N287 billion in 2020 to N674.1 billion in the 2021 financial period. The figure represented an increase of N387 billion or 134.8 per cent when compared to the previous profit recorded in 2020.”

Senator Representing Niger East on the Platform of the All Ptogressives Congress(APC) Sani Musa, has advised the Federal Government to privatise moribund oil refineries as a way out to achieve local refining of crude oil in the country for affordable price of petrol.

Sani Musa who is the chairman, Senate committee on Finance in the current 10th National Assembly, made the call in Abuja on Saturday while fielding questions from journalists on the 63rd Independence anniversary  of Nigeria .

According to him, the refineries have more or less turned to bottomless pit for government as far as turnaround maintenance is concerned .

“For me, my candid advice to the federal government on the Nation’s moribund oil refineries, is for them to be privatised .

“Proceeds from such privatisation should be diversified into the mining sector for job creation for the teeming Nigerian youth who are roaming the streets on daily basis.

“The youth constitute 70% of Nigeria’s  population and must be made to be productive which is possible if the mining and Agricultural sectors are re – positioned.

“The Not too young to run opportunity given to the youth in the political terrain, should be practically extended to the realm of innovation by providing them with conducive environment and enablement to innovate as it is, in most developed countries”, he said.

He added that Nigeria has not done badly in her 63 years of self governance but added that what it needs now, is the right leadership .

The right leadership he explained, will help in harnessing the abundant human and natural resources the country is blessed with, for the greatest good of the greatest number of her citizens.

He however, enthused that the President Bola Tinubu led administration is showing inclination for the right leadership needed by the country.