1. Introduction
On July 2, 2025, Platform Times published an article titled “CNPP, 75 CSOs Demand Kyari’s Arrest, Public Probe Into ₦210 Trillion NNPC Ltd. Scandal.” While such demands for transparency are valid in principle, the allegations against Mele Kyari, the former GCEO of NNPC Ltd., are based largely on misinformation, misinterpretations, and legacy issues from the pre-reform era of NNPC.
This article critically responds to these claims, offering clarifications and a call for balanced judgment in the face of ongoing reforms and historical structural inefficiencies. The discourse is rooted in fact, not emotion, to preserve public trust and investor confidence in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector.
2. Clarifying the ₦210 Trillion “Missing” Funds
Contrary to the claims of missing ₦210 trillion under Kyari’s watch, this figure stems from a reconciliation issue flagged in the Senate Public Accounts Committee. Specifically, it involves ₦103 trillion in “accrued expenses” and ₦107 trillion in “receivables” found in NNPC Ltd.’s audited accounts from 2017–2023. These figures reflect opposite sides of the same Joint Venture (JV) cash-call transactions and are not evidence of fraud.
NNPC Ltd.’s Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Mr. Adedapo Segun, clarified at a Senate hearing that these figures would cancel each other out upon final reconciliation. A forensic reconciliation team is already in place and is expected to file final documentation by July 10, 2025. Prematurely accusing Kyari of economic sabotage before this process concludes is unfair.
3. Legacy Issues and Transition from NNPC-to-NNPC Ltd.
Many of the financial irregularities cited occurred between 2016 and 2021, before Kyari’s tenure as GCEO began in July 2019. These were inherited from the old Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), which was mired in inefficiency, opacity, and mismanagement due to the lack of a proper legal and commercial framework.
The 2021 Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) aimed to address this by transforming NNPC into a commercially driven entity (NNPC Ltd.), with Kyari overseeing the beginning of that transition. Under his leadership, NNPC Ltd. inherited burdens like fuel subsidy debts and pipeline maintenance costs that were previously managed without adequate budgeting or transparency.
One major issue was the continued subsidy payments, which forced NNPC Ltd. to sell fuel at a third of its landing cost, accumulating ₦3.736 trillion in unpaid subsidy bills by May 2023. These were legacy financial burdens, not fraud perpetrated under Kyari’s leadership. President Tinubu’s removal of Kyari and appointment of Engr. Bashir Bayo Ojulari (BBO) as the new GCEO in April 2025 was part of the continuing reform process, not a punitive action over wrongdoing.
4. Mischaracterization of Freedom of Information (FoI) Requests
While civil society organizations submitted FoI requests for contract and expenditure details, NNPC Ltd. maintains that it is not subject to the FoI Act because it is now a Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA) entity under the PIA, not a public agency. This legal position is currently being contested in court by Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP).
Nevertheless, NNPC Ltd. has consistently published audited financial statements and collaborated with NEITI (Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative), which demands more rigorous disclosures than the FoI Act.
Moreover, allegations of indebtedness were clarified by the company’s former spokesman, Mr. Olufemi Soneye. He cited verifiable NEITI data showing the Federation owes NNPC E&P (NEPL) over $700 million, while government-owned gas plants owe NNPC Ltd. ₦174 billion in gas-to-power debts.
5. Refinery Rehabilitation Projects
Accusations that fund meant for refinery rehabilitation were misappropriated are misleading. The Port Harcourt and Warri refineries resumed limited operations in late 2024 after phased rehabilitation work.
Claims that billions were spent on dormant refineries without returns ignore the fact that staffing was done via redeployment, not fresh payroll costs. Only $1.5 billion was approved by the Federal Executive Council for Port Harcourt’s rehabilitation. All disbursements were subject to third-party audits and lender oversight.
Allegations of sabotage in favour of fuel import cartels contradict the reality that NNPC Ltd. has invested in domestic refining, including equity participation in the Dangote Refinery and support for modular refineries in Edo, Imo, and Akwa Ibom.
6. Other Allegations Rebutted
Other claims include:
i. Illegal sale of 48 million barrels of crude in 2015: This is a recycled claim previously dismissed due to lack of evidence. The quantity in question equals a month’s national production and could not have vanished without trace.
ii. Contaminated fuel scandal of 2024: NNPC Ltd. quarantined the off-spec fuel, initiated multi-agency investigations, and began compensations. The company was publicly praised for its quick and transparent response.
iii. Ignoring Senate summons: Contrary to the claim, CFO Adedapo Segun represented the company at the 19 June 2025 hearing. NNPC Ltd. maintains full cooperation with legislative and regulatory bodies.
7. Kyari’s Reform Achievements
Kyari’s leadership from 2019 to 2025 brought critical reforms:
i. Full implementation of the PIA’s transition from NNPC-to-NNPC Ltd.
ii. Publication of NNPC’s first audited financial statement in 2020.
iii. Monthly operational and financial disclosures.
iv. Cancellation of corrupt trading contracts, saving the company billions.
v. Digitization of operations to reduce corruption.
vi. Strategic partnerships with international oil companies (IOCs) to boost oil output.
vii. Tangible revival of domestic refining capacity.
These achievements laid the foundation for a more accountable and efficient national oil company. Thus, to dismiss Kyari’s entire tenure as fraudulent is reductive and unfair.
8. Reforms Under the New Leadership
The newly appointed NNPC Ltd. Board under Chairman Ahmadu Musa Kida and GCEO Engr. Ojulari has taken several decisive steps:
i. Engaging a Big Four auditing firm for JV cash-call reconciliation (2017–2023).
ii. Publishing a dashboard of refinery rehab expenditures.
iii. Implementing improved internal controls.
iv. Enhancing transparency in accordance with the PIA’s requirements.
This shows a clear commitment to transformation, and civic groups are urge to support ongoing transitional reforms, not obstruct them with premature and misleading accusations.
9. Conclusion and Recommendations
While civic accountability is important, it must be based on facts, context, and due process, not recycled claims or public outcries rooted in misinformation. Kyari’s leadership was not perfect, but it was pivotal in driving reforms. The oil and gas sector must be scrutinized constructively but misleading public discourse can undermine it.
The NNPC Ltd. reform process should be allowed to evolve under objective scrutiny, with collaboration from academia, civil society, and international partners. The NNPC Ltd. controversy must be examined with clear understanding of inherited legacy versus current issues, as Nigeria needs rigorous reformers, not scapegoats.
Recommendations include:
i. Fair, evidence-based investigations into allegations, and recognition of Kyari’s governance efforts.
ii. Support for ongoing restructuring and transparent processes under Engr. BBO’s new management.
iii. Emphasis on data-driven oversight (not media sensationalism), through collaboration with academic research institutions like CIBS ABU Zaria, that was established by NNPC Ltd.
Prof. U. A. Danbatta is the Director,
Centre for Inland Basins Studies (CIBS), ABU Zaria.
