Subsidy Removal: LP calls for sack of Melee Kyari, Cautions NLC on Nation Wide protest - The People's Voice

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Thursday, July 27, 2023

Subsidy Removal: LP calls for sack of Melee Kyari, Cautions NLC on Nation Wide protest


By Our Correspondent

The Labour Party (LP) has called for the immediate dismissal and prosecution of Melee Kyari, Managing Director of Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL)

Labour Party vows to appeal tribunal ruling sacking Ngozi Okolie as House of Reps members.

The party also warned Joe Ajaero, National President, of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, against embarking on national protest against the removal of Oil Subsidies.

Speaking at a press conference in Abeokuta on Thursday, Abayomi Arabambi the National Publicity Secretary of the Labour Party called for the investigation of the financial records of NNPCL as it had to do with subsidy matter

The Party also caution NLC president, Joe Ajaero on the August 2nd Nation Wide protest, saying the action is capable of setting Nigerians against the Tinubu Administration for violent Overthrown

The Lamidi Apapa-led National Working Committee (NWC) and National Executive Council (NEC) while reacting to a press conference by the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) under Comrade Joe Ajaero who is the president warned that the call for mass action on subsidy removal is capable of causing more untoward hardship to Nigerians.

“Our party noted that the NLC president Comrade Joe Ajaero without facts baselessly accuse President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of showing enormous disdain and contempt for Nigerian people and workers by the declaration of war of attrition on Nigerian workers and masses without any care leaving them to the throes of hopelessness and helplessness.

“Labour party agreed with the NLC leadership only on all lawful demands but disagreed totally with a resolution calling for mass action because such calls are against section 37(1) of the criminal code Act which states that ” Anyone who levies war against the state to intimidate or overthrow the President or Governor of a state is guilty of treason

“Section 40 to 43 of the criminal code states instances where a person would be deemed guilty of committing treason and the punishment prescribed for this offence is life imprisonment

“Nigerians would remember that our party has alerted all the Nation Security agencies to monitor the activities of Mr Joe Ajaero

“Calling on Nigerians wherever they may be to begin mobilization to take action on their own against a legitimate Government even to the extent of directing associations, individuals and other entities including the ones already on the streets to ensure that government listens to the people is a treasonable felony offence

“Workers can be called to embark on a strike by sitting at home until Government meet their demands

Mr Joe Ajaero called for street urchins to protest against President Tinubu Administration as a ploy to execute Mr Peter Obi’s ambition to unleash those obedient to violence and cause a violent overthrow of the present administration which is the sole mission of Peter Obi, Julius Abure, Pa Ayo Adebanjo and their chief strategist Comrade Joe Ajaero

“Mr Joe Ajaero is hereby advised to withdraw resolutions 4 5 6 and 7 within 24 hours failure the IGP and DG DSS should save our dear country and fragile democracy by immediately arresting the NLC president Comrade Joe Ajaero for Treasonable felony because he is hell-bent on the actualization of the destabilization plot of Mr Peter Obi

Speaking on the call for removal and prosecution of the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL) Mr Mele Kyari, the Labour Party called on President Bola Tinubu to sack the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL) Mr Mele Kyari for opaque financial records of the NNPC transformed to NNPCL.

The Party said “Kyari’s leadership of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation and later Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited as a property of Nigerians failed to ensure that Nigerians are in the loop of the operations of the crude oil.

“The Lamidi Apapa-led executives of the party cannot ignore the pain presently suffered by Nigerians of all classes and therefore would want to have the president take decisive actions that would open up the national asset for a clearer assessment of the revenue and its possible impact on the people.

“This call by the Labour Party is critical to the yearnings of the Nigerian people and owners of the Labour movement and the Labour Party. This same population own every government that must ensure its various institutions are accountable to the people and this can be done by acts of transparency in its operations.

“It behoves the management led by Kyari to ensure that the Nigerian people are in the know of the many operations of their Corporation viz-a-viz the multi-value by-product that comes from crude.

“Nigerian have been inundated with the challenges of the production of crude barrels. It has become commonplace for many Nigerians to engage in discussions of the number of barrels produced by the day, thanks to the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) approved by the National Assembly for the periodic budget.

“What Kyari and his cohort have kept away from Nigerians is the fact that each of the Barrels carries associate products inside it majorly, Gasoline, Ultra-Low Sulfur Diesel (ULSD) Heating Oil, Kerosene/Jet Fuel, Hydrocarbon Gas Liquids, Residual Fuel and Other Products.

“Labour Party noted that other products from refined crude like petroleum coke, still gas, asphalt, naphtha, lubricants, waxes, and other miscellaneous refined products fall into this category. Though the number of products in this category is marginal, the quality and breadth of these goods are instrumental across various industries with numerous uses that can drive the Nigerian economy’s GDP and increase Naira Value. Six gallons(22.71 litres) or 13% of refined products make up this section of a barrel.

“The Labour Party is pained that Nigerians are now bearing the brunt of the lack of transparency of the Mele Kyari administration of the Oil industry in the last four years, instead, Nigerians are made to bear the consequence of the Kyari Opaqueness in the NNPCL. Mele Kyari owes Nigerians and the Government explanations about who is/are the beneficiaries of other Products listed above

“Nigerians will remember sometime in March 2021, a defunct petroleum pricing and regulatory marketing authority the body meant to regulate the prices of petroleum products stated that with an all-inclusive cost of landing fuel in Nigeria, the expected retail cost should be 212 nairas as against the pump price of 185 nairas that was being paid

“Explicitly, it means that the government was then subsidizing the product with an average of 27 naira per litre which includes the average lighting expense, the MPA fees, Nimasa charges, storage charges while the coaster charges were wholesale margin, admin charges, transport allowance, marine transportation average and retail margin.

“Also, the House of Representatives committee sitting in 2022 where the NNPC limited MD represented by Umar Agia (chief financial officer of the company ) claimed that during the 2021 era, govt was paying 209 nairas per litre as subsidy even though we were buying it at 185 per litre with an average of 66.7 million litres needed daily and the govt then required 3.4trillion naira to subsidize the prizes in 2022.

“This means that between March 2021 to September 2022 under the Buhari Administration, 209 nairas (cost of subsidy ) with the 185 pump price in 2022, the price ought to be 394 per litre at that time in 2022.

“How come the subsidy of 27 nairas per litre template in 2021 somersaulted to 209 nairas in 2022 with a cumulative total pump price of 394 in 2023

“It’s obvious the customs faulted the NNPC claims of 66.7 million litres daily consumption as of September 2022 because according to reports, between 2011 and 2015 Nigeria was said to be consuming between 37-40 million litres of fuel per day which the CBN Governor at 2015 disputed the then claim by NNPC of daily Consumption of 40 million litres per day

In March 2023, the NNPC LTD Md Mele Kyari fraudulently claimed that our daily consumption has moved to 66.5 million with each litre transferred to NNPC customers at 113 nairas per litre with subsidy payment of 202 for every litre of fuel NNPC imported into this country

Curiously, if In march 2023, the total subsidy monthly according to NNPC LTD is just above N400b naira with just 202 nairas as a subsidy payment, is NNPC MD and other directors and staff not guilty of economic sabotage by asking Nigerians to pay 500 nairas per litre as a subsidy?


“What has brought about the difference of 500 nairas in June 2023 and 394 nairas in March 2023w here did the extra cost of 106 nairas come from and who is collecting it?

“Labour Party wishes to alert Nigerians that NNPC LTD’s direct sale and direct purchases are what was initially known as a swap arrangement where NNPC gives the barrel meant for local consumption to the refineries while the refineries give NNPC LTD the quantity of fuel refined that will cover the cost of the crude oil given to them. So the only cost NNPC LTD limited is bearing is the cost of framing, insurance and co.

Labour Party urge President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to suspend or sack Mr Mele Kyari to pave the way for thorough auditing of the NNPC since he has failed woefully to conduct Nigeria’s business under his watch in open transparency

The NNPC has deliberately refused to provide an audited account to the Government of the federal republic of Nigeria and Nigerians who are constitutionally required by law to know, how much crude oil was being taken outside the country, the production level, the contractors, the refinery, quantity of by-products and where and when those by-products were delivered

Another major concern is who are the contractors. Where do they refine the products and at what cost? Why are these facts difficult to be in the public as the issue of the challenges to stabilize the 1.9mbpd? Why?

We in the Labour Party believe that as it was common knowledge of the production fluctuation in terms of crude oil barrels per day (pbd) due to insecurity and other challenges, Nigerians should know of the production cost and actuals before the sales.

The NNPC LTD which should protect the interest of the common man is still tied to the old order of doing things, therefore the management team that has leaned to the past in this direction and meting out this level of pain on Nigerians should be sacked, arrested and prosecuted

“Finally Labour Party appealed to the president to sack Mr Mele Kyari and all other management staff of the NNPC LTD, let the DSS put them under house arrest and appoint credible Nigerians to manage the affairs of the NNPC LTD

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