A diaspora-led civil society coalition has announced plans to resume protests in the United States and the United Arab Emirates, UAE, over calls for a full investigation of former Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL, GCEO, Mele Kyari.
The Rescue Nigeria Now, RNN, group said the protests scheduled for May are aimed at compelling the Nigerian government to launch a comprehensive judicial commission of inquiry into the alleged corruption in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector under Kyari’s watch from 2019 to 2025.
According to RNN, its branches in Washington D.C. and Dubai will stage coordinated demonstrations targeting Nigerian embassies and strategic international institutions involved in anti-money laundering and global financial accountability.
Prince Damilola Adeyeye, RNN’s Global Mobilisation Lead, confirmed the upcoming protests in a statement on Friday, saying the goal is to keep international attention on what it described as ‘‘biggest financial betrayals in Nigeria’s modern history”;;.
“Kyari must not be allowed to disappear into luxury exile. We are going to the streets again in the US and UAE, just as we did in London, to demand a judicial commission of inquiry into every kobo spent, signed, or sanctioned under Kyari’s leadership,”;; Adeyeye said.
“From shady refinery rehabilitation deals to opaque subsidy payments and alleged money laundering, the stench of corruption must be thoroughly investigated. Nigeria cannot afford another buried scandal.”;;
DAILY POST had on Monday reported a similar protest in London, where Nigerians besieged the Nigerian High Commission and the UK Home Office, demanding Kyari’s deportation and a probe into his tenure.
The protesters had submitted formal letters detailing allegations of financial misconduct and calling on British authorities to act in line with international anti-corruption frameworks.”;;
In their petition to the Nigerian High Commissioner in the UK, the group accused Kyari of fleeing Nigeria to evade investigations by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, and other anti-corruption bodies, requesting the High Commission to deny him all forms of diplomatic recognition until he returns to face justice.
The allegations against Kyari include the alleged disappearance of billions reportedly allocated for refinery repairs, untraceable subsidy payments, and reported clandestine foreign transfers.
Speaking on the UAE leg of the protest, RNN’s Middle East Coordinator, Fatima Sadiq, said Dubai was chosen due to increasing speculation alleging that illicit funds may have been funnelled through financial institutions in the region.
“Dubai has long been a destination for Nigeria’s stolen wealth. We are working with other transparency-focused groups to pressure authorities to open financial records and cooperate with Nigerian investigators,”;; she said.
The group said in the United States, protests will also engage American legislators and international anti-graft organisations to raise further pressure on the Nigerian government.
“We are calling on President Bola Tinubu to take bold action. Enough of the selective silence.
The group insists that only a credible, independent judicial panel backed by full disclosure of all contracts, payments, and foreign transfers made under Kyari can restore public trust in the petroleum sector.
