Abati carpets Reps members over call for NNPC CEO, Kyari’s sack

Dr. Reuben Abati, a veteran journalist and former Senior Adviser on Media and Publicity to former President Goodluck Jonathan, on Monday, dismissed call by some members of the House of Representatives to sack the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC), Mallam Mele Kyari.

Abati, the lead anchor in the popular Arise TV breakfast talk show, Morning Show, described the call as “unfair, wrong, and unreasonable, nothing that it is wrong for the legislators yo ascribe the problem of the Nigerian Oil & Gas industry to just one man.

He argued that the NNPC CEO is not the root cause of the problems plaguing the petroleum industry, explaining that the sector was plagued by deeper structural issues that have been ignored for decades.

“The problem with the oil and gas industry in Nigeria is not Mele Kyari. The problem is the way we have run our affairs as a country. Leadership is what is required to address these issues, not crucifying an individual,” he said.

Speaking further, Abati criticized the advertisements by a fragment of House of Representatives members clamoring for Kyari’s sack.

“I think the bigger story is that we have seen some people in the media saying Kyari is the problem with the Nigeria Oil and Gas industry.

“We have seen people put up an advertisement for and against the sack of Mele Kyari. No, Mele Kyari is not the problem.

“There are fundamental issues with the Oil and Gas industry in Nigeria, which has been there since the 70s and no government has been able to address it.

“So, it is not about crucifying an individual. What Kyari, in my own understanding, is trying to do is to make an effort to solve the problem. But to assume that one man is the cause of the problem will be very unfair, wrong and unreasonable way to go.

“So, the members of the National Assembly who are saying they want to take Kyari’s head, no, they have their own heads in the wrong place. He is not the cause of the problem,” he added.

Abati, however, emphasized that the focus should be on addressing the systemic issues rather than blaming individuals, saying “Nigeria, and the way we have run our affairs so far, is the problem. Leadership is what is required. So, the ball is back in the court of the leaders.”