Kehinde Fajobi
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has urged the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and its Group Chief Executive Officer, Mele Kyari, to account for ₦825 billion and $2.5 billion reportedly allocated for refinery rehabilitation and other oil revenues.
The demand follows revelations in the Auditor-General of the Federation’s 2021 report, published on 27 November 2024. SERAP also called for the identification and prosecution of those implicated in the alleged mismanagement of the funds.
In a letter dated 4 January 2025, signed by its Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, SERAP welcomed NNPCL’s invitation to former President Olusegun Obasanjo to inspect the Port Harcourt and Warri refineries.
The group urged Kyari to formalise the invitation and include anti-graft agencies such as the ICPC and EFCC in the oversight process.
The letter read, “While your invitation is clearly not ‘disrespectful,’ contrary to claims by the former president because no one is above the law, we urge you to formally invite him and extend your invitation to the EFCC and ICPC for the sake of transparency and accountability.
“Your public invitation to Obasanjo is well-justified and entirely consistent with the Nigerian Constitution and the country’s international obligations on the roles of citizens in combating grand corruption.”
SERAP expressed concerns over the Auditor-General’s findings, describing them as a grave breach of public trust and a violation of national and international anti-corruption laws.
“These allegations have undermined the country’s economic development, trapped the majority of Nigerians in poverty, and deprived them of opportunities,” the group stated.
SERAP requested that the NNPCL take action within seven days, warning that failure to do so would prompt legal steps to ensure compliance.
According to the Auditor-General’s report, the NNPCL failed to account for over ₦825 billion and $2.5 billion earmarked for refinery rehabilitation, repairs, and other oil revenues.