By Sadiya Isah, Kaduna
The Yoruba Youth Council YYC said there attention has been drawn to the call by a group led by one Comrade Kabir Matazu, calling for the probe and prosecution of the immediate past Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), ex-Group Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Mele Kyari.
The group, which styled itself as the Concerned Citizens Against Corruption, had on Tuesday protested at the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice’s office, to air its perceived grievances.
But in a statement on Thursday by the YYC National Coordinator, Comrade Eric Oluwole, the council faulted the group’s call which it described as narrow, selfish, unjustifiable, unpatriotic, and uncalled for.
It reeled out Kyari’s achievements in office to justify its position that rather than persecution in the name of prosecution, as demanded by the protesting group, Kyari deserves commendation and applause by all well meaning Nigerians for his exemplary service.
According to the statement, “An objective view of the grievances of the protesters shows that the so-called anti corruption group, is hiding under that noble cloak to fight for interests that are purely personal, narrow, selfish, and unpatriotic.
“Why is it that the so-called anti corruption group in its Tuesday’s shameful protest to the office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, narrowed its grievances against the former NNPCL management only to the alleged non payment by the Kyari administration of a $2 billion debt to a company?
“Why is it that the group in its sponsored grievances failed to see other burning issues of national interest like the worsening escalation of fuel pump price, dispute between the NNPCL, private refineries and marketers, occasional scarcity leading to loss of several man hours to the embarrassing fuel queues, low production, thereby aggravating the nation’s socioeconomic problems, and fight for their resolution?
“Why is it that Kyari must be guillotined over the alleged debt to a company, while the NNPCL management, a continuum, exists to handle such complaint, if really it exists, and any other debts which the company could have owed in the previous administration?”
“We note satisfactorily that Kyari who left office on April 2, 2025, and assumed duties on July 8, 2019 as the Group Managing Director (GMD) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), recorded many laudable achievements that have transformed the company to what is known today as the NNPCL.”
Some of these achievements, among many numerous others, according to the YYC are, NNPC’s rebirth through the Transparency, Accountability and Performance Excellence (TAPE), a five-step strategic roadmap for NNPC’s attainment of efficiency and global excellence;
“Introduced transparent operational processes accountable to the Nigerian people, and benchmarked against established global best practices by world-class oil and gas companies;
Right operational cost structure, to guarantee value-addition towards NNPC’s sustained profitability.
“Achievable goals, priorities and performance standards and criteria, by developing suitable governance structures for its strategic business units, and the entrenchment of team-spirit, work ethic and collaboration with all key stakeholders to achieve set corporate goals.
“Discovery of oil in the Kolmani River-II Well, expected to significantly boost oil production capacity, removal of the traditional injunction that stopped oil production at the OML-25 oil flow station, attainment of a new peak output of 331,400 barrels of per day on May 28, 2020”
The group also averred that in the 2019 financial year, Kyari ensured the NPDC maintained a unit oil production cost of $16.5 per barrel per day and also executed a funding and technical services agreement (FTSA) and alternative financing deal for NPDC’s OML 13 valued at about $3.15 billion and OML 65 for $876 million an agreements that resulted in a 32% and 21% incremental production output in OMLs 40 and 30.
“Financing and redevelopment of OML 119, one of NNPC’s critical projects, which aligns with the Federal Government’s aspiration to boost the country’s crude oil and gas production, growing reserves, and monetizing the nation’s enormous gas resources.
Revision Of Unit Costs for JVs, PSCs that saved costs through NNPC’s revision of joint venture and production sharing contract (PSC) operators’ unit costs, down to $19 per barrel and $18.3 per barrel, from the initial $31 per barrel and $24.3 per barrel respectively.
“Acquisition of four new oil acreages (OMLs 11, 24, 116 and 98, while recovering debts for gas supplies totaling about N16.64 billion and $3.55 million.
Achieved an average oil production capacity of 1.8 million barrels per day prior to the recent decision by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) to cut its members’ output to boost crude oil prices and stabilize the oil market.
“Supported NAPIMS to secure external funding for the SPDC’s Santolina 3 projects expected to deliver an average production of 16,300 barrels of oil per day, while also superintending over the resolution of the Escravos gas-to-liquids (EGTL) cost dispute with Chevron Nigeria Limited (CNL).
“Settlement agreement is expected to bring in additional $2billion to the Federal Government in the next 20 years, while providing about 1.5 million litres of diesel per day to the country.
Sustained Average Oil Output despite the challenges in the oil and gas industry;
Signed innovation agreement between NPDC and the Nigerian Agip Oil Company (NAOC) involving the formalization of the transfer of OMLs 60, 61 and 63.
“Signing of the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract for NLNG T7 FID project to expand the production capacity of the six-train plant by 35 per cent, from the extant 22 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) to 30 MTPA, and boost Nigeria’s competitiveness in the global LNG market. The project has the prospects of further attracting foreign direct investment (FDI) in excess of $10 billion to Nigeria, and creating 12,000 new jobs.
“Flagging off the EPC activities on the 614 kilometers-long Ajaokuta–Kaduna–Kano (AKK) pipeline project by NNPC; The pipeline project represents phase one of the 1,300 kilometre-long Trans-Nigerian Gas Pipeline (TNGP) project being developed as part of Nigeria’s Gas Master Plan to utilize the country’s surplus gas resources for power generation as well as for consumption by domestic customers. Apart from helping the government to save over $300 million, the AKK project would also attract over $2billion of FDI.
“Completion of the Okpai Power Plant to guarantee the supply of electricity to the national grid; Ensuring the sustenance of gas supply to power plants in the country and other domestic users leading to a peak energy capacity of 111,591.83 megawatts-hour through the execution of a funding and technical services agreement (FTSA) with NPDC on OML 11, while taking the FID on the $3.5 billion West African Gas Project (WAGL);
Rehabilitation, operations and maintenance of the Escravos Crude Oil Terminal.
“Execution of the intelligent pigging of the West African Gas Pipeline project as part of regulatory compliance and flow assurance, which is instrumental to achieving delivery of Nigeria-Gas foundation volume of 133 million BTU and cumulatively of more than 190 million BTU through the pipeline system.
Recovering debts valued at over N80billion and $45million owed the NNPC, through its subsidiary in charge of gas development and supply, the Nigerian Gas Company (NGC) by gas off-takers.
“Uninterrupted fuel supply to the downstream sector; “Operation White” to curb products diversion and smuggling, and ensure that the entire country was kept continuously wet with petroleum products; Authentication of ctual volumes of petroleum products imported and consumed in the country”
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