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Groups condemn sponsored protests, media attacks against ex-NNPCL boss Kyari

Published

6 months ago

April 25, 2025

Joel Bisi

Coalition Of Civil Society Organisations In Nigeria (COCSON) and Bloggers and Vloggers, Content Creators Association (BAVCCA) have warned against politically engineered protests against the immediate past Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Malam Mele Kyari, who “served the nation faithfully.”

In a statement jointly signed by COCSON’s National Mobilisation Officer Comrade Ibrahim Danfulani and BAVCCA’s Spokesperson Efe John Abayomi, the two groups urged President Bola Tinubu to overlook undue distraction from enemies of his administration while rejecting a calculated attempt to malign the person and office Kyari hitherto held concerning the $2 billion crude-for-loan deal.

COCSON and BAVCCA chided agents of mischief and fake news merchants over baseless media attacks on the former NNPCL GCEO while urging anyone with genuine proof of Kyari’s wrongdoing while in office to present it through proper legal channels and not through sponsored headlines and mob protests.

The groups maintained that Kyari has done everything a true patriotic and honest leader can do. In a very difficult economic crisis and Part of the solution to Nigeria’s foreign exchange challenge, a puzzle that nearly crumbled the economy.

The statement read in part:

“We will not sit back and watch a reformer be sacrificed on the altar of politics. We call on our progressive President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to remain steadfast and not allow these desperate tactics to distract his government from the broader goal of sanitizing the petroleum sector.

“If anyone has genuine proof of wrongdoing, let them present it through proper legal channels — not through sponsored headlines and mob protests.

“Mele Kyari has done everything a true patriotic and honest leader can do. In a very difficult economic crisis, He stood for the greater good of all Nigerians instead of a few cabals. He has been Part of the solution to Nigeria’s foreign exchange challenge, a puzzle that nearly crumbled the economy.

“Let us be clear: this is not a scandal — it is a structured misrepresentation of a standard commercial transaction that predates this administration and has been carefully supervised under the regulatory and sovereign structures of the Federal Government of Nigeria.

THE TRUTH THEY WON’T TELL YOU:

“The $3.3 Billion Crude-Backed Loan Was a Sovereign Deal: This transaction, executed in collaboration with Afreximbank and backed by the Federal Government, was designed to stabilize Nigeria’s foreign exchange reserves and provide a buffer against economic shocks — not to “mortgage Nigeria’s future” as ignorantly portrayed by politically motivated street protesters hired by ungrateful elements working against the progressive leadership of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

“Kyari Was Not Acting Alone: Every stage of the crude-for-loan framework was vetted by relevant agencies — including the Ministry of Finance, Debt Management Office, and the Attorney General’s Office. Kyari was executing national policy, not personal ambition.

“No Missing Crude, No Diversion of Funds: There is zero evidence of crude diversion, missing shipments, or financial misappropriation. All proceeds and repayment schedules are transparent, documented, and auditable. Anyone who has a valid case should first present proof of his claims instead of taking Nigerians’ collective sense of judgment for a ride.

“Kyari Has Been Nigeria’s Most Transparent NNPC Boss in Decades: Under Kyari’s leadership, NNPC was transitioned into a commercially-run, limited liability company. For the first time in NNPC’s history, its books are published, audited, and made public. That’s not corruption — that’s reform.

“The Protest Is Politically Engineered: We have credible information that certain vested interests, threatened by the sanitization of the oil sector, are sponsoring protests and media hysteria to derail reforms and force Kyari out.”

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ITPN FCT Chapter Ends 3-Day Executive Retreat For Professional Impact, Industry Growth

Published

4 days ago

October 28, 2025

The Gleamer

Joel Ajayi

The executive members of the Institute for Tourism Professionals of Nigeria (ITPN), FCT Chapter, led by the Chairperson, Dr. Fatima Obadaki Sule, have successfully concluded a transformative three-day retreat focused on advancing the 7-point agenda that took cognisance of the Renewed Hope Agenda of the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, for the socio economic growth and development of the Federal Capital Territory of Abuja in particular and the country as a whole through tourism, hospitality and allied trades sector held in Abuja over the weekend.

In a statement jointly signed by Chairman, ITPN, FCT Chapter Dr. Fatima Obadaki Sule, _FITPN and Publicity Sec. ITPN, FCT Chapter Ahmed Mohammed Sule on Tuesday in Abuja

In his remarks as special guest of honour who also declared the retreat opened, the National President of ITPN, Chief Abiodun Odusanwo, called on the leadership of the FCT Chapter of the Institute to lead by example and ensure the interests and objectives of the Institute come first in running the affairs of the Chapter, noting that advancing best professionalism practices amongst all the members should be the guiding principle.

Chief Odusanwo further reiterated that, as torch bearers of the Institute in the nation’s capital, they should constantly seek for collaboration and cooperation between the public and private sector stakeholders and key operators to promote the ideals of professionalism, skills and capacity development, career upscaling and industry best practices that the Institute firmly stands for,

While applauding the idea of holding retreat, he noted the exercise as very apt and timely and a dynamic platform for strategic discussions and collaborative engagement among the EXCOs, aimed at repositioning the chapter for greater professional impact and industry leadership in the travel tourism, hospitality and allied trades in the nation’s capital in line with the federal government’s desire for country’s economic diversification through tourism as the main hub of the non-oil sector.

Earlier in her welcome address, Dr. Fatima Obadaki Sule stated that the idea behind the retreat was to enable members of her executive team to be abreast of her vision and mission statement in the successful piloting of the affairs of the Chapter which she wrapped up in her 7- Points agenda, adding that it explicitly summed up the goals and objectives of the Institute as a body of practising tourism professionals in the country and her utmost goal of placing the FCT chapter of the Institute above all the chapters as the Kapital Centre of Excellence in Tourism.

She reeled out her 7-point agenda, which formed the core of the retreat and includes:

Organize fitness sessions and mental awareness campaigns, mentorship program for youth, strengthen collaboration with key stakeholders, promote sustainable tourism and leverage technological innovations, enhance professional development, raise awareness of tourist attractions in FCT and support local entrepreneurs.

She then solicited for the support and active participation of members of the executive present at the retreat which she said was crucial for the success of the Institute in achieving progress and moving forward as a professional body.

During the three days’ retreat which began on Friday 24th and ended on Sunday 26th, executive members shared insights, reviewed operational practices in the industry sector, proffered laudable ideas and suggestions as well as mapped out actionable plans to achieve the objectives of the 7- Points agenda.

The Retreat proper was kick started with the presentation by the Guest Speaker, Dr. Taiwo Famogbiyele, Registrar of the Institute on his paper which x-rayed the 7- Points Agenda of the Chairperson of the FCT Chapter of the Institute. He noted that the Institute for Tourism Professionals of Nigeria is a body of practising professionals and a force to be reckoned with because tourism and hospitality sector remains one of the fastest growing industries and a critical driver of economic diversification, job creation and national image-building.

He noted that the retreat was critical to achieving a well-coordinated team work and for fine-tuning the program plans of the leadership of the Institute at the Chapter level for smooth implementation, adding that it will enhance team unity and cohesion, bring about clear and measurable action framework and improve accountability, programme visibility/sustainability and concluded with a step by step exposition of the 7- Points Agenda bordering on relevance, implementable means and expected impactful outcome of each.

Key highlights of resolutions reached during the retreat among others, includes: Unity and Collaborative Actions by Members; Strategic Leadership through Participation at national events; Leveraging on Internal Expertise and Networks to tap from the resource and expertise of members in critical national programmes; Focus on 3- Pillar Strategic Framework – *Wellness and Fitness Initiatives, *Youth Mentorship and Career Development Programmes to address critical gap in hospitality and tourism education, Sustainable Tourism Practices to address environmental, social and economic sustainability; Critical Stakeholder Engagement encompassing all sub-sectors of the tourism, hospitality and allied trades; Organizational Development Imperatives involving all members; The Integration of Physical and Mental Wellbeing with dedicated sessions on incorporating regular aerobic exercises to combat work-related stress and boost overall resilience among members.

The Executive Retreat which was the first of its kind by any chapter of the Institute across the country, was highly interactive and underscored the need for robust partnerships and team work targeted at members for resilience and show of commitment for the impactful growth and development of the Institute in the interest of professionalizing the tourism sector as well as for nation building.

The retreat ended on a refreshing and uplifting note, with members recommitting to the 7-points agenda and calling for broader stakeholder involvement to foster a vibrant, inclusive tourism ecosystem in the FCT and nationwide. This initiative aligns with the President Ahmed Bola Tinubu’s national goals for sustainable development as well as position ITPN as a proactive force in Nigeria’s creative, tourism and hospitality industry.

In conclusion, members of the executive at the retreat session took time off on day 3 of the exercise and embarked on an excursion tour of one of the prolific eco-tourism spots in the nation’s capital -The Kaspaland and Kayak Resort, where they refreshed, socialized and networked with a renewed commitment to work together and foster best practices in the hospitality and tourism in collaboration with critical stakeholders to support efforts toward sustainable tourism development in Nigeria.

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