The Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP) and the Coalition of National Civil Society Organisations (CNCSOs) have urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to order a full-scale judicial investigation into the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), following fresh revelations of deep-seated corruption and operational decay in the oil sector.

 

The call came in response to disclosures reportedly made by NNPCL’s Group Chief Executive Officer, Bayo Ojulari, during a meeting with the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) on August 29. According to the groups, Ojulari admitted that the company’s refineries, particularly the Port Harcourt Refinery, had been plagued by systemic inefficiencies, sabotage, and financial hemorrhage.

 

In a joint statement issued on Sunday, signed by CNPP Deputy National Publicity Secretary, James Ezema, and CNCSOs National Secretary, Ali Abacha, the organisations said Ojulari revealed that NNPCL refineries had been losing between ₦300 million and ₦500 million every month, despite the injection of nearly 950,000 barrels of crude oil. Shockingly, only about 40 percent of the crude was being processed, underscoring decades of mismanagement.

 

Ojulari was also quoted as clarifying that the so-called “old” and “new” units of the Port Harcourt Refinery were designed to operate as one integrated system. However, years of misinformation, neglect, and alleged strategic deception had frustrated rehabilitation efforts, leading to a deliberate stalling of refinery functionality.

 

 

While commending Ojulari for what they described as an “uncommon display of courage and transparency,” CNPP and CNCSOs said his revelations confirmed their long-standing warnings about entrenched corruption under former NNPCL leadership.

 

“Efforts to expose these schemes in the past were met with media blackouts, intimidation, and suppression,” the groups said. They noted that profit claims made under former Group Chief Executive Officer, Mele Kyari, were “absurd” and contradicted by the reality of soaring subsidy payments.

 

The coalition insisted that Nigeria’s lingering economic woes were tied directly to unchecked graft in the petroleum sector, stressing that only a comprehensive, independent, and transparent judicial inquiry covering 2017–2023 could restore confidence.

 

They further argued that the scope of corruption at the NNPCL was far beyond the capacity of conventional anti-graft agencies like the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

 

“The scale of corruption is monumental. This is why we are demanding a judicial panel of inquiry. Anything short of that would be a cover-up,” the statement added.

 

 

In addition, the CNPP and CNCSOs demanded the arrest and prosecution of former NNPCL boss, Mele Kyari, accusing him of presiding over fraudulent subsidy claims, shady crude swap deals, and unresolved cases of missing oil revenue.

 

They warned that failure by President Tinubu to act decisively would amount to a “dangerous endorsement of impunity,” perpetuating inefficiency, fuel dependency, and worsening economic hardship for Nigerians.