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Nigerian Professionals Abroad Rally for Mele Kyari, Plan UK Honor Event

Published

1 month ago

August 21, 2025

Nigeria Professionals in Diaspora (NPID) held a world press conference in London today, condemning what they described as “baseless attacks” and unwarranted restrictions on the personal accounts of the former Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Mallam Mele Kyari

The group warned that such actions risk deterring Nigerian professionals abroad from returning to serve their homeland.

Addressing journalists, NPID President Dr. Olawale Oguntonade expressed dismay at the treatment of Kyari, a reformer lauded by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for transforming Nigeria’s oil sector.

“This type of vindictive attack is not good for Nigeria,” Oguntonade declared.

“It sends a wrong signal to hardworking professionals who may consider returning to serve their fatherland. If a man like Mele Kyari, who gave his all to reposition NNPCL, can be harassed, what encouragement remains for diaspora Nigerians?”

The NPID highlighted President Tinubu’s public commendations of Kyari’s achievements. In August 2023, Tinubu hailed Kyari as a reformer who repositioned the oil industry to attract global investors during the signing of a $7 billion gas deal.

In October 2023, the president praised Kyari’s dedication, noting that under his leadership, NNPCL recorded profits for the first time in 44 years, transitioning from a loss-making entity to a profit-making giant.

The NPID outlined Kyari’s transformative contributions to Nigeria’s oil sector, including: Financial Turnaround: Under Kyari’s leadership, NNPCL declared profits of ₦287 billion in 2020, ₦674 billion in 2021, and a record-breaking ₦3.3 trillion in 2023.

“Transparency Drive: Kyari introduced the Transparency, Accountability, and Performance Excellence (TAPE) Initiative, publishing audited financial statements for the first time in NNPCL’s history.

“Major Projects: He spearheaded initiatives like the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) Gas Pipeline, the Kolmani Integrated Oil & Gas Development Project, and the Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline.

“Investor Confidence: Kyari resolved disputes with international oil companies, paving the way for investments like the $10 billion Bonga South-East deepwater project.

“Fuel Supply Stability: Through “Operation White,” he curbed fuel smuggling and ensured a stable supply of petroleum products nationwide.

“These are concrete results that no amount of propaganda can erase,” Oguntonade stated.

The NPID urged President Tinubu, whom they praised for delivering democratic dividends and steering Nigeria away from economic collapse, to intervene and protect Kyari from “disgruntled elements.”

The group alleged that these attacks stem from individuals who lost access to corrupt practices in NNPCL due to Kyari’s reforms.

“Mr. President, history will not forgive us if we allow enemies of progress to destroy reformers,” Oguntonade said, calling for Kyari to receive a national honor rather than persecution.

While commending the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for its anti-corruption efforts, the NPID criticized its actions against Kyari as misguided.

“Public service is not a crime,” Oguntonade emphasized.

“Targeting reformers like Kyari discourages Nigerians in the diaspora from returning to serve and risks demoralizing dedicated patriots at home.”

The NPID demanded the immediate lifting of any restrictions on Kyari and called for an investigation into the sponsors of the attacks, whom they described as beneficiaries of a dismantled corrupt oil cartel. In a bold move, the group announced plans to honor Kyari in the United Kingdom in November 2025, with President Tinubu and the UK Prime Minister as special guests. The event will celebrate Kyari’s reforms, integrity, and service to Nigeria.

The NPID warned that allowing such attacks to persist could deter thousands of Nigerian professionals abroad from contributing to national development. “Today, it is Mele Kyari; tomorrow, it could be another patriot,” Oguntonade said. “Nigeria must protect her reformers, not persecute them.”

The group reaffirmed its unwavering support for Kyari, declaring, “His legacy cannot be destroyed by those who failed to hold Nigeria captive under their corrupt grip.”

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Tin City Warms Up for President Tinubu as North Central Embraces Renewed Hope

Published

1 day ago

October 4, 2025

The Gleamer

By Sunday Dare

When President Bola Ahmed Tinubu berths on the plains and rolling hills that dominate the Jos landscape tomorrow, he will meet a people resourceful, friendly and resilient but weighed down by conflict, yet unbowed by adversity.

So, tommorrow, national attention turns to the Plateau- a locale laden with history and rich with potential. From the tin mines that gave the city of Jos its name, to the Irish potato, strawberry farms and beetroot plantations that dot its landscape, Jos remains a land of promise—truly the Home of Peace and Tourism.

Jos is also deeply woven into Nigeria’s political history. Plateau is home to towering figures such as Generals JD Gomwalk, Yakubu Gowon, John Shagaya, Joshua Dogoyaro, and Jerry Useni. Solomon Lar, Senator Ibrahim Mantu and numerous others also stand tall in the annals Plateau political history.

Jos was also the rallying ground of the famed Langtang Mafia—a group of influential military officers from Langtang in Plateau State who, at the height of their power, played a significant role in Nigeria’s political and military affairs.

The story of Jos is both exciting and excruciating. The city lost its innocence some two and a half decades ago, when the popular Terminus Market was reduced to rubble through acts of arson and looting.

Thus at the turn of the millennium by 2001, Jos—and by extension, Plateau—was thrown into a cycle of unending conflict. Ethnic tensions, clothed in religious garb, tore through the city and spread across the state, dragging Jos into an abyss of violence, almost of Kigali proportions. Peace gave way to war, and tourism jaunts became undertakings to the undertaker.

Yet Jos has never surrendered. Every time it is written off, it rises again—scarred, but resilient. With its multi-ethnic, multi-religious fabric, the Plateau continues to trudge on in pursuit of peace, development, and egalitarian ideals.

It was here, in Jos, that Nigeria’s democratic resurgence was birthed. The historic SDP convention, where late General Shehu Yar’Adua and Chief Moshood Abiola held sway, took place in this city. Jos gave political life to Abiola, our hero of democracy in 1992

Now, thirty three years later, another hero of democracy and of the June 12 struggle returns to the Plateau. President Tinubu’s return and visit to Plateau State is not just to honor the transition to glory of Nana Lydia Yilwatda, the mother of the APC National Chairman.

It is a visit that carries deeper meaning—one of empathy, solidarity, and renewed hope for a people who have endured decades of turmoil. It is a mission to preach peace, console the bereaved, bind wounds, and assure Plateau of its central place in the Nigerian project.

Mr President comes not just to mourn, but to reconnect. He comes to parley with the North Central, to commiserate with a people who have suffered, and to extend the hand of renewed hope. That Renewed Hope is laying a solid foundation as evidenced by Naira at N1,455 per dollar, rising Foreign Reserves at $43bn, Trade surplus heading for N25tr. Revenues up 411% and Inflation down to about 20 per cent. Over 600,000 students benefiting from NELFUND.

This visit is more than ceremonial. It is a journey into the very soul of a people who have known pain, yet remain resilient; a land scarred by conflict, yet still brimming with hope and promise. As the Tin City opens its arms, Jos will not just receive the President—it will receive a message of solidarity, healing, and renewal.

Tomorrow is about remembering the glorious past, confronting the present, and charting a path to a peaceful and prosperous Plateau within a united Nigeria. With President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, Jos once again stands at the intersection of history and destiny.

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