Senate Threatens Action Against NNPCL CEO Kyari Amid Alleged N12 Trillion Refinery Spending

On Wednesday, the Senate pledged to ensure the dismissal and prosecution of Mele Kyari, the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), along with other top executives…CONTINUE READING

This action follows allegations of the mismanagement of N12 trillion purportedly spent on the turn-around maintenance (TAM) of the nation’s non-functional refineries.

The Senate, in its capacity, highlighted that despite expenditures exceeding N12 trillion on TAM, it possesses records revealing amounts such as $592 million, €4.8 million, and £3.4 million spent between 2010 and 2023 on TAM, yet the refineries remain inoperative.

This warning was issued during an interactive session of the Senate Ad hoc Committee investigating various TAM projects within Nigerian refineries. Some agencies, including NNPCL, Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA).

Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), and their subsidiaries, were summoned.

The CEOs of these agencies, failing to attend in person but sending representatives instead, faced the committee’s threat of dismissal and legal action.

Senator Isa Jibrin (APC, Kogi East), the committee’s chairman, expressed concern about the substantial expenses incurred on operational materials for non-functioning refineries.

He asserted the committee’s intention to seek refunds and dismissals of all implicated chief executives involved in the turn-around maintenance.

Senator Jibrin also questioned the rationale behind operational expenses amounting to N4.8 trillion from 2010 to 2020, emphasizing the need for explanations regarding such costs for moribund facilities.