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Fuel scarcity: Sack Kyari now! *Group insists NNPCL boss setting up Tinubu
Nothing outside the immediate sack of Mele Kolo Kyari, Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), would assuage the anger of the Tinubu/Shettima Mandate Actualisation Group (TSMAG), as they are holding him fully responsible for the current fuel scarcity.
The group, which argued that the scarcity of the Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) at a time Nigerians were still struggling to adjust to the removal of the fuel subsidy, was a plan to set the citizens against the President, said in a statement on Monday, that the NNPCL ought to have preempted the current situation and stocked a large volume of fuel that will sustain Nigerians throughout this dark period.
The statement, jointly signed by the President and Secretary of the group; Abiodun Abdulrazaq and Aliyu Muhammad respectively, said that, the Kyari led-NNPCL was fully notified of the ongoing turnaround maintenance of the refineries in Europe, which it said is responsible for the scarcity currently experienced.
Part of the statement, read: “The Tinubu/Shettima Mandate Actualisation Group has noted with grave concern the unjustifiable fuel scarcity that is biting hard in most parts of Nigeria, which has continued to generate anti-Tinubu and APC commentaries, thereby putting our party in an extremely bad light.
“The ongoing Scarcity is attributed to the ongoing turnaround maintenance of refineries across Europe. This didn’t come without notice. A serious regulator or business ought to have stocked a large volume of products that will sustain Nigerians throughout this dark period. This, like other incidents, has proven the administrative weakness of Mr Kyari-led NNPCL.
“We need to remind President Tinubu that Naira confiscation wasn’t the only strategy deployed by his adversaries in the last administration to frustrate his ambition, fuel scarcity was also a veritable tool deployed. For the significant part of 2022 through early 2023, Nigerians lived with the scourge of Scarcity, yet, we were convinced to mobilize our people to vote for you.
“While Emefiele is facing the music of his actions and evil against Nigerians, we are sad that Mr President decided to reward Mele Kyari with an extended appointment. How can one man cause your ambassadors, your compatriots who love, trust and respect you to want to go against you?
“Given these circumstances, one is compelled to ask if Mr President believes Nigerians are second fiddle to Mele Kyari. It is on the strength of the above that we wish to call on Mr President to urgently sack and investigate the activities of Mr Kyari-led NNPCL to build Nigeria’s trust in government.
“If this problem is not resolved in 7 days, we will have no option but to call Nigerians out to peacefully occupy our streets until normalcy and enduring solutions are preferred in the oil and gas sector and continue to call for sack, arrest and investigation of Kyari for subjecting millions of Nigerians to undeserving sufferings.”
“Exceptional individuals like Professor Soyinka do not come often in a generation, men who illuminate the paths for humanity to follow across diverse endeavours, who are not afraid to go against convention, and who do not let the man die in the face of oppression and injustice.”
These were the words of President Bola Tinubu, with which he rolled out the red carpets at the Presidential Villa Abuja, to celebrate Wole Soyinka as “a gift we will always treasure” as the renowned playwright, author and activist turned 92 on Monday.
In the emotion-dripping tribute, conveyed through a the State House on Sunday, the President spoke of Soyinka’s contributions to literature, democracy and good governance, describing him as one of Nigeria’s most influential public figures.
Praising the nonagenarian for showcasing courage and commitment to justice, Tinubu said: “Today, I celebrate a global icon and our nation’s literary star, Professor Akinwande Oluwole Babatunde Soyinka, on his 92nd birthday, July 13.”
The President recalled Soyinka’s achievements, including becoming the first African to win the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1986, and also reflected on Soyinka’s role in Nigeria’s democratic struggle, reminiscing on Professor Soyinka’s “valiant struggle against military dictatorship for decades, and his efforts in the June 12 struggle, for which we were both in the trenches.”
Describing the literary icon as a national treasure, Tinubu said: “Today, I salute one of our nation’s living repositories of history, knowledge, and courage. That he is with us is a gift we will always treasure. I thank him for his undying faith in the Nigerian project and wise counsel.”
The President said he joined people around the world in celebrating Soyinka’s influence on generations of writers, scholars and activists, adding: “I wish ‘Kongi’ many more years in excellent health.”
Another coordinated attacks on farming communities in Otukpo Local Government Area, have increased the tally of the continuous killings in Benue State, Nigeria’s food basket, which has remained a major hotbed in the massive insecurity Nigeria is currently witnessing.
Zagazola Makama, a counter-insurgency publication focused on the Lake Chad region, which broke the story, said the attacks took place between Friday and the early hours of Sunday, targeting Akpachi village in Ugboju community and Otukpo-Nobi community.
The publication said several residents were injured, while many fled their homes to escape the violence, quoted sources as saying specifically that the attacks began on Friday when armed men invaded farmlands at Akpachi village.
“According to the sources, the assailants killed two of the farmers, while the third victim managed to escape and alerted members of the community. Search teams later recovered the bodies on Saturday, and the victims were buried shortly afterwards.
“However, before residents could recover from the tragedy, the attackers returned in the early hours of Sunday, launching another deadly assault on Otukpo-Nobi community at about 4:00 a.m.
“The gunmen reportedly opened fire indiscriminately on sleeping residents, killing at least 16 people on the spot while leaving several others with gunshot injuries.”
The publication said the actual casualty figure is feared to be higher as local volunteers and security personnel continued search operations in surrounding bushes for missing persons, adding that the attacks had thrown communities across Otukpo into mourning, with many residents abandoning their homes amid fears of further attacks.
The report, said the attacks came barely two weeks after the killing of Ardo Risku Mohammed, Benue state chairman of the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN), and Yakubu Isah, his associate, who were ambushed and killed at Okutu community while returning from a peace meeting in Idekpa, Ohimini LGA.
Informing that security operatives had launched investigation, the report said one of the angles being probed into included the possibility of the the latest attacks being carried out in retaliation for the earlier killing of the MACBAN chairman.
The incident was said to have sparked immediate responses from communities in Otukpo, where hundreds of youths were said to have taken to the streets on Sunday, carrying the bodies of some of the victims to the palace of the Och’Idoma during a church service to demand urgent government intervention.
Quoting witnesses as saying that the protesters accused the government and security agencies of failing to protect farming communities from repeated attacks, the report said: “The protest quickly spread across Otukpo town, with major roads barricaded by demonstrators, causing severe traffic disruption and leaving commuters stranded for several hours.
“Residents described the atmosphere as tense, with businesses temporarily shutting down while security operatives monitored the situation to prevent further escalation.
“One of the protesters, Ebi Adoyi, lamented that many families had been devastated by the attacks and warned that the casualty figure could rise as more bodies might still be discovered in nearby forests.”
Maxwell Ogiri, Chairman of Otukpo LGA, who confirmed both attacks, was quoted as saying preliminary findings suggested they might be linked to reprisals following the killing of the MACBAN chairman, adding that after the first attack at Akpachi village, security personnel and local vigilantes searched the surrounding bushes, believing the attackers had fled.
His words: “The bandits came and killed two farmers on Friday. One escaped and alerted the community. We recovered the bodies on Saturday and buried them. After searching the surrounding bushes, we believed they had left the area, but around 4 a.m. on Sunday, we received distress calls that they had invaded Otukpo-Nobi, killing several people and injuring many others.”
Anybody with credible information on the wrong use of its trucks will be richer by a whopping N500,000, going by signals coming from Dangote Industries Limited (DIL) – an initiative to encourage whistleblower to report sharp practices within its operations.
The company, which said the move is part of efforts to curb unauthorised haulage activities and protect the integrity of its nationwide logistics operations, encouraged the public to report any suspected cases of its trucks being used to transport unauthorised goods or passengers.
The conglomerate in a statement on Sunday, reiterating it consistent warning that only approved products were permitted to be conveyed by trucks belonging to its subsidiaries, maintained that Dangote Cement trucks are authorised to transport only cement, limestone, high-grade gypsum, coal and clinker, Dangote Sugar Refinery trucks, to sugar products while those of NASCON Allied Industries were designated for Dangote Salt and DanQ Seasoning products.
Part of the statement, read: “Dangote Packaging vehicles are to carry bags and packaging materials, Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals trucks are approved for polypropylene products, while Dangote Fertiliser Limited vehicles are authorised to transport urea fertilizer.
“Anyone with verifiable information that leads to the arrest of persons involved in illegal haulage activities or the recovery of unauthorized goods transported on Dangote trucks will receive a cash reward of Five Hundred Thousand Naira.”
In the programme, whistleblowers would be required to to provide details such as the truck type, registration plate number, cab number, location, description of the goods being transported, colour of the vehicle, and photographs where possible, to aid investigations through dedicated hotlines across its operations to receive reports of illegal haulage activities.
Stating that law enforcement agencies, including the police, have been authorised to arrest drivers found using Dangote trucks for unauthorised commercial haulage, the company reiterated its zero-tolerance stance against logistics-related fraud, saying the whistleblower programme is aimed at strengthening transparency, accountability and compliance across its logistics network.
It added: “Public cooperation remains critical in our efforts to eradicate illegal haulage activities. We encourage anyone with credible information to come forward and help us maintain the integrity of our transportation system.”
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