Kyari, Dikko Won’t Be Distracted From Reforms At NNPC, Says North, South-South Coalition

In the wake of recent criticisms against the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, a coalition of northern and south-south groups have alleged a deliberate ploy to distract the NNPC management from continuing with reforms at the corporation.

The group said despite visible efforts by the Mele Kyari-led management to reposition the NNPC, some detractors were bent on distracting the GMD from continuing with reforms at the corporation.

The groups — Arewa Legacies Assembly and the Bayelsa Patriots for New Nigeria — stated this against the backdrop of criticisms trailing NNPC’s declaration of N287 billion profit in its 2020 financial report.

The NNPC, under Kyary, had broken a 44 years jinx of losses when it recorded the profit.

Critics in some quarters, however, alleged that the NNPC and the Port Harcourt Refinery Company headed by Ahmed Dikko failed to make profit because of high administrative expenses.

But reacting, the coalition said there was a deliberate attempt to use the media to distract the NNPC GMD Kyari and Dikko from repositioning the national oil firm.

The group spoke in a statement jointly signed by Aminu Zakari for Arewa Legacies Assembly and Joseph Aridi for the Bayelsa Patriots for New Nigeria.

The coalition said, “the attack dogs of haters of the ongoing reforms at the NNPC are going beyond the boundaries of decency.”

It said, “As Nigerian citizens, we feel duty-bound to draw public attention to a calculated, coordinated and well-funded media agenda designed to purposely distract the NNPC management, including another committed public servant – Dikko – who has been leading the reforms at the level of Port Harcourt refinery.

“We have been following what is obviously a well-funded media distraction against the no-nonsense NNPC GMD and his loyal lieutenants like Dikko of Port Harcourt Refinery and we are confident this mischievous plot would be dead on arrival.

“Even though we are also doubly sure that the current GMD of NNPC and his team are so occupied with efforts to give the corporation their best shot and won’t even have the time to respond to fake figures being bandied against the NNPC, we as volunteers won’t fold our arms.”