Some lawyers from the Niger Delta have issued an ultimatum to the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) and its Managing Director, Mele Kyari, to ensure the Port Harcourt Refinery becomes operational before the end of September, as previously promised.

According to the lawyers, the refinery’s non-functionality has led to an energy crisis, with oil-producing communities forced to purchase fuel at higher rates than other parts of the country.

Under the auspices of the Coalition of Niger Delta Youth on Energy Reforms and Transparency in the Oil and Gas Sector, they said this is a deliberate attempt to further impoverish the Niger Delta region.

In a statement co-signed by Dickens A. Opu and Werigbelegha Zinake, the lawyers expressed concerns over the refinery’s proposed conversion into a blending plant for substandard petroleum products from Russia, arguing it would expose the region to harmful chemicals and environmental pollution.

Mele Kyari had earlier stated that the Port Harcourt Refinery would commence operations by December 2024, with the Warri and Kaduna refineries following suit in the first quarter of 2024 and by the end of 2024, respectively.

However, the lawyers demand immediate action, citing the region’s significant contribution to the country’s revenue.

“We wish to state that we have it on good authority that the Port Harcourt refinery si being packaged to become a blending plant where substandard petroleum products from Russia will be mixed with chemicals and sold to the Niger Delta people. This is not only acceptable, it also shows a gross disdain for the Niger Delta people,” the statement said.

“Those in authority do not care about the negative impact of this plan on the livelihood of the Niger Delta people. The Niger Delta people would be subjected to untold hardship by paying more for petroleum products, and also the attendant consequence in other critical sectors of the Niger Delta economy.

“The economic value chain around the operations of the Port Harcourt refinery would be greatly disrupted and bring about a regime of hopelessness and the resort to crime and criminality to make ends meet. Let us not forget that the level of crime and criminality of proportional to the economic standing of the people.

“The move by the Mele Kyari led NPCL to convert the Port Harcourt refinery into a blending plant for substandard petroleum products from Russia and other European destinations comes with the attendant health implications for the people of the region.

“The people would indeed be exposed to harmful chemicals from environmental pollution and degradation from the waste products that would be released into the environment as a consequence.
The rot in the administration of the oil and gas sector in Nigeria is phenomenal.

“The Mele Kyari-led NNPCL has taken the lack of transparency and accountability to another height. The country has lost huge revenues to the activities of the cartel that is aided and abetted by the Mele Kyari-led NNPCL.

“We are tempted to say that the Niger Delta people have been slated for extinction. The Coalition of Niger Delta Youth On Energy Reforms and Transparency in the Oil and Gas Sector frowns at such a disposition which is a dangerous trend that must be halted and addressed with a sense of urgency.

“The Niger Delta people are an important contributor to the revenue generation of the country and as such it must not be treated with disdain and levity.”

The Niger Delta lawyers demand that the federal government ensures the Port Harcourt Refinery becomes operational before the end of September, institutes reforms in the oil and gas sector prioritizing oil-producing communities, and investigates the administration of the oil and gas sector under Mele Kyari’s leadership.

According to them, the federal government’s prompt intervention is crucial to halt the dangerous trend of neglect and ensure transparency and accountability in the sector, adding that the socioeconomic implications of inaction will be severe with potential increases in crime and criminality.

The lawyers urge the relevant authorities to act in the best interest of the Niger Delta people and the country.

The statement added: “We are therefore calling on the federal government to look into the plight of the Niger Delta people and do all that is necessary to improve the lot of the people through the entrenchment of transparency and accountability in the administration of the oil and gas sector ni the country.

“The first step ni this regard is to ensure the full functionality of the Port Harcourt refinery and other refineries in the country. The second step is to institute reforms in the administration of the oil and gas sector in the country with emphasis on the oil and gas-producing communities that are home to the major source of revenue for the country.

“The third step is to institute a probe into the administration of the oil and gas sector by the Mele Kyari-led NNPCL. We are calling on the relevant authorities to urgently address the lingering issues in the oil and gas sector in Nigeria. The socioeconomic outlook of the country is worrisome and the country does not have the luxury of time as the situation in the country is getting grimmer by the day.

“The time to act is now and it is our firm belief that the relevant authorities would act ni the best interest of the Niger Delta people and the country at large.
Thank you and God bless.“

Tinuade Sanda, the former Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Eko Electricity Distribution Company (EKEDC), has been dismissed by the company’s parent organization, West Power & Gas Limited (WPG).

The termination, effective immediately as of April 17, 2024, follows recent controversies, including allegations of corruption and falsified academic credentials.

Sanda, who had been at the helm of EKEDC since March 2022, was the third woman to lead a major Nigerian electricity distribution company. Her tenure was cut short after an internal investigation prompted by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) directed EKEDC to suspend all WPG staff seconded to the utility.

This directive was part of broader efforts to ensure that all staff working for the utility were directly employed by and accountable to EKEDC.

Charles Momoh, chairman of WPG, wrote in a letter, “Your services are no longer required,” emphasizing compliance with the contract’s termination clause. The company has also ensured that Sanda receives three months’ salary in lieu of notice.

Academic Qualifications in Question

Further complicating Sanda’s position are revelations about her purported academic achievements. Investigations have revealed that Sanda falsely claimed degrees from prestigious institutions like Harvard Business School and the University of Edinburgh. According to verification by TheCable, Sanda attended only a short executive education course at Harvard, contrary to her claims of a full academic degree. Similarly, the University of Edinburgh confirmed that Sanda was not an alumna, leading to further scrutiny of her educational background.

Most troubling is the discovery surrounding her claimed PhD. from the non-existent University of Management Science and Technology in the Benin Republic. Investigations indicated that the university was unaccredited and had no online presence except for an Instagram account.

Implications for EKEDP and WPG

The scandal has cast a shadow over EKEDP’s management and operations, prompting an urgent review of internal controls and employment protocols. The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has stressed the need for transparency and direct employment practices to avoid similar incidents in the future.

As the power sector grapples with these revelations, stakeholders and customers of EKEDP are calling for stringent oversight and integrity in leadership positions to safeguard consumers’ interests and ensure reliable service delivery.

Information emanating from the National Secretariat of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG), the Petroleum Tankers Drivers Branch has slammed an indefinite suspension on some members of the union over their anti-union activities and actions that may lead to breach of peace in the country.

In a circular made to members of the union, it reads that the members lend their support to the executives led by the current president Comrade Augustine Egbon, the circular reads, “This is to inform all our members that the President, the Deputy President of NUPENG, General Secretary and the National Chairman Of PTD are greatly doing well.

“But Lucky Osesua and Dayyabu Garga who before now were members of the union has been arrested over activities that nearly caused breach of peace, they were reported to the police who arrested them and will prosecute them in the court where their fate will be decided.”

The circular further employ the members to disregard any contrary information coming from any other source other than the recognised structure of PTD headed by the National chairman, Comr. Augustine Egbon.

Those placed on indefinite suspension are Peter Moudebelu, Dayabu Garga, Musa Dennis, Osesua, Walter, Tiamiyu Ojo, Osahon Osamuyi, Humble Obinna, Dele Nwaka, Sylvanus Idanwekhai, Akinlolu Olabisi, Gambo Ibrahim Tuge.

In the letter of suspension cited they were accused of conducting illegal congress to elect new national leaders of the union in disobedience to the order of the court nullifying such.

Below is a sample of the letter sent to the suspended members;

LETTER OF INDEFINITE SUSPENSION FROM THE UNION

The National Secretariat of the Union is in receipt of documentary, audio and video evidences of you and some other individuals illegally organizing and conducting elections for the national offices of the Petroleum Tanker Drivers Branch of the Union in Abuja, in the early hours of Tuesday,3lst October, 2023 in disobedience and in contempt of the

judgement of Hon. Justice Bashar A. Alkali of the National lndustrial Court of Nigeria, in the Yenagoa Judicial Division, holden at Yenagoa on Suit No. NICN/YEN/L/2022 that

nullified the Petroleum Tanker Drivers Branch of NUPENG’s election held on 30th June, 2022 in lbadan, Oyo State, dissolved the former executive and mandated the National Secretariat of NUPENG to conduct a fresh elections for the national offices of the

Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) Branch ofthe Union.

Your actions, conducts and utterances were totalviolations of the Union Constitution and the Bye Laws of the Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) Branch including the resolutions

taken at the Branch Executive Council meeting of the Petroleum Tanker Drivers Branch on 20th September 2023 in Asaba, Delta State.

It was on the basis of the above that a resolution was taken and adopted at the Special Delegates Conference of the Branch on Tuesday, 3L’t of October,2O23 recommending

LETTER OF INDEFINITE SUSPENSION FROM THE UNION

The National Secretariat of the Union is in receipt of documentary, audio and video

evidences of you and some other individuals illegally organizing and conducting elections

for the national offices of the Petroleum Tanker Drivers Branch of the Union in Abuja, in

the early hours of Tuesday,3lst October, 2023in disobedience and in contempt of the

judgement of Hon. Justice Bashar A. Alkali of the National lndustrial Court of Nigeria, in

the Yenagoa Judicial Division, holden at Yenagoa on Suit No. NICN/YEN/L/2022 that

nullified the Petroleum Tanker Drivers Branch of NUPENG’s election held on 30th June,

2022 in lbadan, Oyo State, dissolved the former executive and mandated the National

Secretariat of NUPENG to conduct a fresh elections for the national offices of the

Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) Branch ofthe Union.

Your actions, conducts and utterances were totalviolations of the Union Constitution and

the Bye Laws of the Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) Branch including the resolutions

taken at the Branch Executive Council meeting of the Petroleum Tanker Drivers Branch

on 20th September 2023 in Asaba, Delta State.

It was on the basis of the above that a resolution was taken and adopted at the Special

Delegates Conference of the Branch on Tuesday, 3L’t of October,2O23 recommending your expulsion from the Branch and the Union to the National Executive Council of Nigeria

Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG).

your expulsion from the Branch and the Union to the National Executive Council of Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG).

To worsen the matter, on Wednesday, 1’t November 2023, the President of the Union,

Comrade Williams Akporeha and the General Secretary of the Union together with the

Chairman of the Caretaker Committee set up after the dissolution of the former executive

by court and six principal officers of the newly elected executive of the Branch were

brutally and viciously attacked at the Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) Branch office at 50

Moses Majekodunmi Crescent, Utako , Abuja by you and co- conspirators ably assisted by

some assailants, thugs and arsonists.

These actions are definitely condemnable and heinous crimes and cannot be condoned

in any way by the Union and in any decent Society.

ln the light of the above, you are hereby immediately placed on an indefinite suspension

from the Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) Branch of NUPENG and from the Union

generally pending when the National Executive Council of the Union shall take

appropriate actions and measures on the matter.

You are hereby directed to hand over all the Union properties in your possession to the

Petroleum Tanker Drivers (PTD) Chairman of your Zone and by a copy of this letter all

relevant Security Agencies, Government lnstitutions and all Stakeholders in the Oil and

Gas lndustry should not transact business or have any official union relationships with this

ma n.

Thank you.

Yours faithfully,

FOR: NIGERIA UNION OF PETROLEUM AND NATURALGAS WORKERS

BI OLAWALE

General Secretary

P resident – NUPENG

Trustees – NUPENG

State Commissioner of Police – Nigeria Police Force, Kaduna State

State Director of DSS – Department of State Services (DSS), Kaduna State

State Commandant – NSCDC, Kaduna State

President and Executive Secretary – NARTO, Abuja

Chairman/Secretary – Kaduna Zonal Councll of NUPENG

Chairman/Secreta ry – PTD Branch of NUPENG

Chairma n/Secreta ry – PTD Kaduna Zone of NUPENG