- By Halimah Olamide
The former Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited Mele Kyari late Saturday broke his silence over claims that he was arrested by operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
According to Kyari, he is ready to account for my stewardship while he held sway as the boss of the petroleum company.
He said he has been bombarded with inquiries from many people who wanted to know the truth about his reported arrest by the anti-Graft commission.
Describing the reports as “clear mischief” Kyari said “Over the past few days and in particular in the past 2 hours, I have been inundated with calls from concerned family and friends over claims by an online newspaper that I was in the custody of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.
“This is clear mischief and a calculated attempt by the newspaper and its sponsors to achieve a desired outcome, which only them know.”
The former NNPC Chief said he is currently “taking a well-deserved rest after the dissolution of the management and board of the NNPCL, of which I was the Group Chief Executive.”
The rest of the statement went this:
It should be stated that having served the NNPC and the NNPCL for 34 years, and 17 of those in management roles and especially the last 5 years and 9 months, I had little time for leave of even two weeks. So, I am thankful for the opportunity to serve under their Excellencies Presidents Muhammadu Buhari and Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
I must emphasize that I served with the fear of God knowing fully well as a Muslim that if I do not account before man, I will account before Allah, and that I am better off accounting to the institutions of man. Therefore, having served in public capacity, I am willing and happy to account for my stewardship in this world.
However, it is important to state that the resort to disinformation does not serve anyones purpose, the NNPCL or the country in General, as it has the potential to send the wrong signals to investors and the international community.
It is in this regard that I urge the media to be circumspect and avoid being stampeded into misleading the public on unverified stories or matters that are subject of further validation by relevant organizations.
I sincerely thank my family and friends who have reached out to me or tried to do so and assure them that I am available to respond to all lawful queries.