The Former Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Mele Kolo Kyari, is being probed over funding of the repair work on refineries.
He was taken before investigators at the Abuja Headquarters of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) yesterday.
As of 8:30pm, he had not been allowed to go, raising suspicion whether or not he was detained.
Under investigation, according to sources at the anti-graft agency, are:
•How the over $2 billion meant for Turn-Around Maintenance (TAM) was spent: The money, it was learnt, was made available, thus: $1.55 billion to the Port Harcourt Refinery; $740.6 million (Kaduna Refinery) and $656.9 million (Warri Refinery).
•The contracts awarded during his tenure:
Kyari, before submitting himself to interrogation, had always insisted he had nothing to hide.
In a statement on his invitation, titled: “Hard questions, honest answers”, Kyari said: “I have done my part; the EFCC must do theirs. When each of us does our duty – without fear of favor, with honour, respect and commitment – Nigeria moves forward.”
On arrival at the EFCC headquarters, his international passport was seized.
The four state-run refineries are: Port Harcourt Refining Company (PHRC) (2); Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company (WRPC) and the Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company (KRPC).
They have installed capacity to produce 445,000 barrels per day (bpd)
The two Port Harcourt refineries have a combined capacity of 210,000 barrels per day (bpd), Warri has a capacity of 125,000 bpd and Kaduna has 110,000 bpd.
But the refineries remained non-functional for years despite several attempts to refurbish them.
About $18 billion has been sunk into TAM since 2010 but the refineries were still in poor state.
According to an EFCC source, Kyari was asked to “state how much was voted for TAM during his tenure, what was expended and the balance, if any.
“Detectives were also curious to know how N4.8 trillion was incurred as operating costs on the refineries when they weren’t working.
“The most crucial aspect of the investigation is why the refineries broke down shortly after repairs.
“Some of his former top officials have refunded money to the EFCC from TAM cash. Kyari is to explain what he knew about how the slush funds came about.”
