Lawyers write Tinubu, demand Kyari’s removal over scarcity, arbitrary hike in petrol price
Lawyers under the Coalition of Nigerian Legal Practitioners have asked President Bola Tinubu to sack Mele Kyari, group chief executive officer (GCEO) of Nigeria National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, over scarcity and arbitrary hike in the price of petrol across the country.
The lawyers made the demand in a petition addressed to Tinubu dated October 30, titled “PETITION AGAINST THE GROUP CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF NIGERIA NATIONAL PETROLEUM CORPORATION LIMITED (NNPCL), AND A CALL FOR HIS IMMEDIATE SACK”.
The petitioners also copied the speaker of the house of representatives; the national security adviser (NSA); director-general of the Department of State Services (DSS), and the inspector-general of police (IGP).
“We are writing you on behalf of a coalition of Nigerian legal practitioners who are desirous of good governance, delivery of public good and welfare of the Nigerian people,” the petition reads.
“We are writing you in connection with the recent hike in the pump prices of petrol, its unwarranted scarcity across the country and the attendant hardship on Nigerians, which has drastically affected the livelihoods of millions of Nigerians.
“As concerned citizens, we wish to emphatically state that immediate action is imperative in order to arrest the current debilitating situation.
“Under the current leadership of the present Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of the NNPCL, the company has failed woefully and calamitously in its role to ensure adequate supply of petroleum products in the country leading to skyrocketing cost of transportation, inflation of food prices and other untold hardships.
“We therefore wish to express our disappointment and to categorically state that we have lost faith in the capability and competence of the current GCEO to deliver on the mandate of the company.
“It is our considered view that the NNPCL needs a change in leadership at this juncture in order to allow fresh brawn and grit that thinks out of the box to inject fresh ideas and strategy to drive the company forward.
“We therefore call for the immediate sack of the current GCEO of the NNPCL who has demonstrably failed to effectively lead the company.
“We therefore ask that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu relieve the current GCEO of his duties and sack him from his position.”
The lawyers further said they will occupy the headquarters of NNPCL to protest if Tinubu does not sack Kyari.
“To demonstrate the gravity and urgency of the situation, we will mobilize over 1,000 Lawyers to hold a National Press Conference and Rally on the 2nd of November 2023,” the lawyers said.
“We have also concluded plans to proceed to court to ensure that our demands are met.
“We therefore urge you (Tinubu) to use your good office to take immediate and necessary decisive actions to address the present issue of fuel crisis.
