Nigerians In Diaspora Report NNPC’s Mele Kyari To The World
The Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL), Mele Kyari, finds himself embroiled in controversy once again as Nigerians in the United Kingdom under the aegis of Niger Delta Legacy Group, NDLG,
prepared to stage what the organizers described as a mother of all protests against alleged wanton corruption, maladministration, and highhandedness. The protest, which will take place outside the Nigerian Embassy in London, aims to draw attention to Nigerians’ grievances at home and abroad concerning Kyari’s leadership.
According to one of the protest coordinators, Jerome Anderson, Nigerians in the diaspora have been closely monitoring events in their home country in recent years. Among the issues that have caught their attention mostly is the alleged empowerment of one ethnic nation over the other, the oil-rich Delta State, in South-South Nigeria, in a reckless disregard for equity, fairness, and justice—a development that subjugates one group under the other in subservience.
Perceived selective patronage and preferential treatment have raised concerns about Kyari’s approach to governance and its implications for security, regional peace, cohesion, and unity among ethnic nationalities in the delta region, Anderson said.
One of the most contentious issues is the reported involvement of Tantita Security Services Nigeria Ltd. (TSSNL), a private security firm owned and managed by Chief Government Ekpemukpolo, a.k.a. Tomopolo, who is the contractor to Kyari’s-led NNPCL handling the pipeline security surveillance in the Western axis of Nigerian waters.
“We are informed that Tompolo’s firm was neck-deep in the crisis that bedeviled the Okuama community recently along the Forcados River, leading to the unfortunate massacre of our soldiers and residents, an avoidable development.”
Tompolo, who is alleged to have the support of Kyari, has been accused of exacerbating tensions and undermining stability in the region. “These soldiers who were killed were working for Tompolo.” The protest organizers argued that Kyari’s failure to address such security challenges effectively reflects a map of mismanagement and neglect. “We are aware that the TSSNL contract sum is being shared annually by Kyari and Tompolo, a condemnable act of profiteering and racketeering. “
The decision to take their grievances against Kyari to the Hague in the Netherlands underscores the seriousness with which Nigerians in the diaspora view the situation. By appealing to the international community, they hope to pressure the Nigerian authorities to address the underlying issues of corruption and impunity.
“We in the diaspora are in total solidarity with our brothers and sisters back home and we shall do everything within our powers to amplify their voices and support their struggle for justice and accountability.”
The protest is expected to attract widespread attention from both domestic and international media, which will pressure Kyari and the Nigerian government to respond to the concerns raised by its citizens.
As calls for transparency and accountability gather momentum, the outcome of this protest could have far-reaching implications for Nigeria’s political landscape and its relationship with the diaspora community.
The Group said, “Among other demands, we shall be calling for a thorough investigation and a possible sack of Kyari, who recently told the listening world that the NNPCL under his watch has no powers to protect Nigeria’s oil wealth after awarding a “kill and divide” contract of 48 billion naira to Tomopolo two years ago. “That statement draws a map of an overwhelming failure on the path of Kyari and his management. What they do is stoke the crisis in the oil-rich region and vote out a huge amount to settle the same crisis that they created.” He would hear from us in the coming days,” the group vowed.
