Mele Kyari in a statement on his X page (formerly Twitter) disclosed that he is taking a “well-deserved rest” after the dissolution of the NNPCL management and board

He said “I served not only my country but also God. I am happy to account for my stewardship

“Over the past few days and in particular in the past 2 hours, I have been inundated with calls from concerned family and friends over claims by an online newspaper that I was in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.

“This is clear mischief and a calculated attempt by the newspaper and its sponsors to achieve a desired outcome, which only them know.

“At present, I am taking a well-deserved rest after the dissolution of the management and board of the NNPCL, of which I was the Group Chief Executive.

“It should be stated that having served the NNPC and the NNPCL for 34 years, and 17 of those in management roles and especially the last 5 years and 9 months, I had little time for leave of even two weeks. So, I am thankful for the opportunity to serve under their Excellencies Presidents Muhammadu Buhari and Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

“I must emphasize that I served with the fear of God knowing fully well as a Muslim that if I do not account before man, I will account before Allah, and that I am better off accounting to the institutions of man. Therefore, having served in public capacity, I am willing and happy to account for my stewardship in this world.

“However, it is important to state that the resort to disinformation does not serve anyone’s purpose, the NNPCL or the country in General, as it has the potential to send the wrong signals to investors and the international community.

“It is in this regard that I urge the media to be circumspect and avoid being stampeded into misleading the public on unverified stories or matters that are subject of further validation by relevant organizations.

“I sincerely thank my family and friends who have reached out to me or tried to do so and assure them that I am available to respond to all lawful queries.

The post EFCC: Kyari Denies Detention Claims, Warns Mischief Sponsors appeared first on Daily Dates Nigeria.

This discovery is part of an ongoing investigation into the alleged misappropriation of nearly $3 billion allocated for the rehabilitation of Port Harcourt Refining Company (PHRC), Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company (WRPC), and Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company (KRPC).

As part of the investigation, the EFCC has arrested former managing directors and senior officials of the three major state-owned refineries.

Among those in custody are Ibrahim Onoja, former MD of PHRC, and Efifia Chu, former MD of WRPC.

The anti-graft agency is also scrutinizing the activities of other senior officials, including a former chief of the National Petroleum Investment Management Services, a subsidiary of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL).

The immediate-past Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPCL, Mele Kyari, and 13 other senior executives are not left out in the investigation.

According to reports, EFCC has requested for certified true copies of emoluments and allowances for these officials, including those who have retired.

A senior EFCC official, speaking on condition of anonymity, stated that the arrests are part of a broader investigation into how billions of dollars were allegedly siphoned from national coffers under the guise of refinery maintenance. The official emphasized the public’s interest in the operational status of the refineries and the need for accountability regarding the allocated funds.

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President Tinubu removed all other board members appointed with Akinyelure and Kyari in November 2023.

In a statement released on Wednesday morning, Special Adviser to the President on Information & Strategy, Bayo Onanuga announced that the new 11-man board has Engineer Bashir Bayo Ojulari as the Group CEO and Ahmadu Musa Kida as non-executive chairman.

Adedapo Segun, who replaced Umaru Isa Ajiya as the Chief Financial Officer last November, has been appointed to the new board by President Tinubu.

Six board members, non-executive directors, represent the country’s geopolitical zones. They are Bello Rabiu, North West, Yusuf Usman, North East, and Babs Omotowa, a former managing director of the Nigerian Liquified Natural Gas( NLNG), who represents North Central.

President Tinubu appointed Austin Avuru as a non-executive director from the South-South, David Ige as a Non-executive director from the South West, and Henry Obih as a non-executive director from the South East.

Mrs Lydia Shehu Jafiya, Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Finance, will represent the Ministry on the new board, while Aminu Said Ahmed will represent the Ministry of Petroleum Resources.

All the appointments are effective today, April 2.

President Tinubu, invoking the powers granted under Section 59, subsection 2 of the Petroleum Industry Act, 2021, emphasised that the board’s restructuring is crucial for enhancing operational efficiency, restoring investor confidence, boosting local content, driving economic growth, and advancing gas commercialisation and diversification.

President Tinubu also handed out an immediate action plan to the new board: to conduct a strategic portfolio review of NNPC-operated and Joint Venture Assets to ensure alignment with value maximisation objectives.

Since 2023, the Tinubu administration has implemented oil sector reforms to attract investment. Last year, NNPC reported $17 billion in new investments within the sector. The administration now envisions increasing the investment to $30 billion by 2027 and $60 billion by 2030.

The Tinubu administration targets raising oil production to two million barrels daily by 2027 and three million daily by 2030. Concurrently, the government wants gas production jacked to 8 billion cubic feet daily by 2027 and 10 billion cubic feet by 2030.

Furthermore, President Tinubu expects the new board to elevate NNPC’s share of crude oil refining output to 200,000 barrels by 2027 and reach 500,000 by 2030.

The new board chairman, Ahmadu Musa Kida, is from Borno State. He is an alumnus of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, where he received a degree in civil engineering in 1984. He also obtained a postgraduate diploma in petroleum engineering from the Institut Francaise du Petrol (IFP) in Paris

He started his career in the oil industry at Elf Petroleum Nigeria and later joined Total Exploration and Production as a trainee engineer in 1985.

Musa became Total Nigeria’s Deputy Managing Director of Deep Water Services in 2015. Last year, he became an Independent Non-Executive Director at Pan Ocean-Newcross Group.

Apart from his oil industry career, Ahmadu Musa Kida is a former basketballer and the president of the Nigerian Basketball Federation(NBBF) board.

Ojulari, the new NNPC Limited Group CEO, hails from Kwara State. Until his new appointment, He was Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Renaissance Africa Energy Company. His Renaissance recently led a consortium of indigenous energy firms in the landmark acquisition of the entire equity holding in the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC), worth $2.4 billion.

Like Kida, Ojulari is also an alumnus of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. He graduated with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. He worked for Elf Aquitaine as the first Nigerian process engineer to begin a stellar career in the oil sector. From Elf, he joined Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Ltd in 1991 as an associate production technologist.

Apart from working in Nigeria, he worked in Europe and the Middle East in different capacities as a petroleum process and production engineer, strategic planner, field developer, and asset manager. In 2015, he became the managing director of Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCO).

During his career, he was chairman and member of the board of trustees of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE Nigerian Council) and a fellow of the Nigerian Society of Engineers.

President Tinubu thanked the old board members for their dedicated service to NNPC Limited, particularly their efforts in rehabilitating the old Port Harcourt and Warri refineries, which enabled them to resume petroleum product production after prolonged shutdowns. He wished them well in their future endeavours.

The post Breaking: Tinubu sacks Kyari, Akinyelure, other NNPC board members appeared first on Daily Dates Nigeria.

Kyari’s daughter, Fatima died Friday at the age of 25 after protracted illness.

The President sympathizes with Kyari and the rest of the family on the irreparable and painful loss.

President Tinubu prays for the repose of the soul of Fatima and urges the Kyari family to stay strong at these trying times.

On his part, Shettima who attended the funeral prayers at the Annur Mosque in Abuja, prayed for the peaceful repose of Fatima’s soul and asked God to grant the Kyari family the strength to bear the loss of their beloved daughter, who was taken too soon.

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