By Felix Durumbah, Abuja
Fresh crisis is brewing for allegedly ill former Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO), Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Mele Kyari, as senators today (Wednesday) ordered his immediate arrest “wherever he is.”
The order followed his failure, yet again, to appear before the federal lawmakers to explain how a jaw-dropping sum of N210 trillion allegedly was unaccounted for from 2017-2023, mainly during his tenure.
Kyari was appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari, now late, whose two terms in office ended 29 May 2023, with incumbent President Bola Tinubu taking over.
Senate issued the warrant for Kyari’s arrest through its Committee on Public Accounts.
During the Committee’s crucial sitting today, two senators from Anambra State, senators Tony Nwoye (Anambra North) and Victor Umeh (Anambra Central), sharply disagreed on Kyari’s pending fate.
While Nwoye pleaded that Kyari be given additional time to show up, Umeh kicked against the move, saying the former oil guru had neglected to appear before the nation’s upper legislative chamber despite prior invitations during its investigative sessions.
But, fiercely rejecting the claim of the said huge sum of money being missing during their tenure, former Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of NNPCL, Umar Ajiya Isa, who appeared before the Committee, today too, said it was impossible for such amount to disappear or be unaccounted for.
Stoutly defending their financial integrity while in office, Isa wondered how N210 trillion could vanish whereas what the firm generated in the years under review was far less –N54.5 trillion.
The N210 trillion exceeds the total revenue the company raked in within the period, he explained, expressing astonishment over such development.
Isa added that before they came to office, the company’s accounts had remained unaudited for about 40 years even as he called upon anti-graft agencies to, without further delay, move in and probe the financial activities of the Kyari-led administration so that what he described as the truth can be unfurled for Nigerians and the international community.
“When people claim N210 trillion is missing, they should be asked: Where exactly did it go? Agencies like the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit and the EFCC should investigate and establish the facts so Nigerians can trust the truth,” he urged.
As Senators Saliu Mustapha (Kwara Central) and Nwoye pleaded with Committee Chairman, Senator Ibrahim Dankwambo (Gombe North), a former governor of Gombe State, for the NNPCL ex-boss to be handed a fresh chance to appear, pointing out that he was reportedly receiving medical treatment in Germany, some other Committee members thumbed down the suggestion.
Rather, the members told Sen. Dankwambo to issue an arrest warrant against Kyari.
For instance, contributing, Senator Abdul Ningi (Bauchi Central) dismissed what he described as verbal excuses, insisting that such must not be accepted except with documented evidence of ill health.
Senator Umeh, who supported Ningi, subsequently moved the motion for Kyari’s arrest, which was seconded by the Committee’s Deputy Chairman, Senator Peter Nwaebonyi (Ebonyi North).
Sen. Nwaebonyi stated that another chance for Kyari would lead to “a wild goose chase.”
He said: “This is the ninth time this Committee is meeting on the 19 queries raised against the NNPCL by the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation, three of which were chaired by me.
“Mr Chairman, the time to issue a warrant of arrest against Mele Kyari is now because the Committee must conclude its assignment and report back to the Senate.”
Upon putting the motion to a voice vote, Sen. Dankwambo said: “Wherever Mele Kyari is, he should be arrested and brought before this Committee.”
Before this, Isa was vehement that no such money as claimed was missing or unaccounted for.
His words: “To be clear, if money had gone missing at NNPC during our tenure, we would not have had the courage to publish audited accounts. For over 40 years, those accounts were either not prepared, not made public, or not even shared with the Auditor-General.
“N210 trillion is an enormous sum. NNPC’s total revenue during the period under review was about N54.5 trillion, even before deducting production costs.
“It is impossible for N210 trillion to be missing or unaccounted for.”
On the claim that the Kyari administration was so profligate with public funds that it registered NNPCL with an eye-popping sum of N5.8 billion, Isa dismissed it as “untrue and damaging.”
He asked the Committee to get to the heart of the matter by verifying with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) and the Nigeria Revenue Service, stressing that calumny harms individuals, institutions and countries.
Isa said: “Unfounded claims do real damage. They harm the reputations of individuals, the company and Nigeria itself.
“International rating agencies use public information to assess countries. Negative, inaccurate reports can hurt Nigeria’s credit rating and our national interests.”
Substantiating his assertion, the former finance chief pointed to the turmoil in the Chinese financing of Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano Gas Pipeline, saying it was occasioned by “an unpatriotic petition.”
Before rounding off for the day, the Committee ordered Isa and Bala Wunti, former Chief Upstream Investment Officer under Kyari, to show up before the senators in a fortnight.
*PHOTO CAPTION: Kyari.
