The media is attacking me and NNPC, says Mele Kyari

Mele Kyari, group chief executive officer (GCEO) of Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, says there is a targeted media attack on him and the company.

Kyari spoke when he appeared before an ad hoc senate committee on August 7.

The committee, led by Opeyemi Bamidele, the senate majority leader, is probing the alleged importation of substandard petroleum products into the country.

The NNPC GCEO said it is his job to protect the NNPC as well as “other businesses around us”.

“Let me be specific, and I’ll wait for the public hearing and I also agree with my honourable minister that it should be broadcast live so that Nigerians will hear us so that all the misinformation that you see will be put aside so that Nigerians will know the truth,” he said.

“And all of us see what is happening in the media – targeted personal attack on my person, on the institution, and we all know how this works.”

Kyari said the attacks are deliberate and calculated to create the impression that the NNPC and its leadership are creating economic sabotage in the country. 

However, he said this is far from the truth.

The GCEO also said the NNPC has nothing to do with the alleged importation of substandard products.

On Monday, the leadership of the house of representatives dissolved an ad-hoc committee probing the importation of adulterated petroleum products into Nigeria and the resurgence of queues.

In a notice to lawmakers, Akin Rotimi, house spokesperson, said the house leadership decided to dissolve the committee because of the “widespread negative media coverage”.

On July 22, Aliko Dangote, chairman of Dangote Industries Limited, alleged some NNPC personnel, oil traders and terminals have opened a blending plant in Malta.

Dangote also said diesel produced locally is of better quality than the imported product.

The businessman said many vehicle issues can be traced back to the “substandard” imported product.

The next day, Kyari denied Dangote’s claim, saying he does not own a blending plant in Malta and he is not aware of any NNPC employee that operates such a plant in the aforementioned country.

On Wednesday, Kyari said NNPC has nothing to do with the alleged importation of substandard products.