NNPC taking Nigerians for granted – Lawmaker

A federal lawmaker, Clement Jimbo, has called for the removal of the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd) Mele Kyari, saying Mr Kyari was taking Nigerians for granted.

Mr Jimbo, who represents Abak/Ika/Etim Ekpo Federal Constituency of Akwa Ibom State, has also called for the sacking of NNPC management staff.

The lawmaker stated this while appearing as a guest on a television programme, Hallowed Chambers, aired by TVC. It is not clear when the programme was aired, but Mr Jimbo posted a clip of the television interview on Facebook on 8 September.

Justifying his call for the removal of Mr Kyari and his management team, Mr Jimbo said the NNPC was taking Nigerians for granted, arguing that the people have been standing in queues to buy Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), otherwise called petrol, for the past three months.

The lawmaker wondered why NNPC claimed it owed $6.8 billion in debt about three weeks after declaring a profit of over N3.3 trillion.

“Their sole responsibility is to make PMS and other petroleum products available to Nigerians. And if you failed in your critical responsibility and assignment, I consider you a failure, and you do not deserve to be in that position for another second.

“Does it make sense that since Nigeria got independence and the establishment of the federal government-owned refineries, which have not been working for the past 28 years?

“We have a patriotic Nigerian who conceptualised, stood his ground to make sure that Nigeria as an oil producing nation is reckoned among the committee of nations with a functional refinery and now that we have a functional refinery ready and is producing all the different petroleum products. It is now that NNPC is coming with all this nonsense. It is quite unfortunate that Clement Jimbo is not the President of Nigeria. I would have shown him the way out a long time ago.”

‘I’ll move motion for Kyari’s sack’

The National Assembly is on recess. Mr Jimbo said if Mr Kyari continues in the office until the lawmakers resume, he will move a motion for his removal.

Mr Jimbo wondered why the NNPC recently increased the price of petrol from N590 to about N897 after the Dangote refinery unveiled its refined petrol.

According to him, with petrol now refined at the Lagos-based Dangote refinery, the NNPC will no longer pay for the cost of exporting crude oil and importing refined petrol. For this reason, he dismissed the recent hike in petrol price as unjustifiable and urged the NNPC to explain to Nigerians.

Asked if the National Assembly would consider engaging with the NNPC to slash the price of petrol when it resumes, Mr Jimbo said he would move a motion for Mr Kyari’s removal.

“Trust me, if the managing director of NNPC stays in that office when we resume, I will be the person that will move a motion for him to be sacked immediately.

“I am calling for the sack of the MD/CEO of NNPC and his management staff because he is not alone,” he said.