The Integrity Youth Alliance has called on the expelled former Acting Publicity Secretary of the Labour Party, Abayomi Arabambi, to face his party crisis and stop meddling in the affairs of the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited.
The Alliance said an investigation revealed that Arabambi has been seeking relevance in Tinubu’s Government since he was expelled from the Labour Party, and his thought is to attack the most transparent GECO of NNPC Limited, Mele Kyari.
In a press release on Saturday, July 29, 2023, in Abuja, the Publicity Secretary of the Integrity Youth Alliance, Danjuma Lamido, said that accusing Kyari of “opaque financial records of the NNPC transformed to NNPCL” is laughable because, on assumption of office, Mallam Mele Kyari pledged to open the NNPC financial books to the public as part of his management’s commitment to openness, transparency, and accountability in line with the global EITI principles.
“It is on record that Kyari published the audited accounts of NNPC from 2018 to 2021.
“Kyari has rebranded Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited with a fresh panorama and obligation to transparency and accountability in consonance with the global principles of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI).
“He kicked a fresh breath of openness into the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited. He refused to follow the crowd. He decided to do things differently and to account for his employers, Nigerians.
It is laughable to say that “Kyari’s leadership of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation and later the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited as a property of Nigerians failed to ensure that Nigerians are in the loop of the operations of the crude oil,” when the account of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited has been opened to the general public from 2018 to date, with the latest remittance of N123 billion to the federation account for the month of June 2023.
Since he assumed office as the Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC Limited, Mallam Mele Kyari has stamped out sharp business practices, violations of regulations, illegal deductions of funds belonging to the state, and failures, among others, through the Transparency, Accountability, and Performance Excellence (TAPE) agenda, which has brought about greater transparency and accountability in NNPC’s management of Nigerian oil and gas revenues to date.
“Mele Kyari, no doubt, is a leader of unparalleled vision and courage and a man whose matchless exploits have transformed the Nigerian oil and gas industry for the better.
“Of course, the road to success has not been without its challenges. Kyari has had to contend with a number of obstacles and setbacks, including a concerted campaign of calumny waged against him and his colleagues by a group of malicious mischief-makers.
“The Integrity Youth Alliance is by this putting President Tinubu on notice to be vigilant, watchful, and on the lookout for the activities of these enemies of Nigeria masquerading as advisers,” the statement concluded.
