Anti-corruption coalition, the Civil Society Network Against Corruption (CSNAC), has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to rein in his Chief of Staff, Mr. Abba Kyari, who is alleged to be abusing his office.
In a petition to the President, the group listed instances of power abuse by Kyari, warning that such constitute an affront to the government's anti-corruption drive.
Signed by its National Chairman, Mr. Olarenwaju Suraju, the petition drew heavily from the August 16 2016 report published by SaharaReporters. The report revealed how Kyari has mined the influence of his office to further personal interests.
"The letter received by SaharaReporters reportedly showed how Mr. Kyari prospects on behalf of Valiant Offshore Contractors Limited, a private business that is being fronted by the major owner of Seawolf Oilfield Services Limited. Seawolf Oilfield Services is the biggest debtor of the Asset Management Company of Nigeria (AMCON). The company is owned by Nigerian businessman Uwamu Adolor, Okulola Remi (former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s ally), Rasheed Mahey Rafindadi, Wessels Alwyn, Odunlami Remi, Waziri Ibrahim Dahiru and Oduntan Adetunji.
"Sequel to the N160 billion debt owed to the First Bank of Nigeria by that Seawolf Limited, two of its oil rigs were seized by AMCON and parked at Lagos Marina. Despite this situation, Mr. Kyari was alleged to have deployed his influence and exalted office in representing the company as a Special Purpose Vehicle to immediately commence businesses with the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) where he is also a board member,” CSNAC stated.
The coalition argued that Mr. Kyari is abusing his membership of the NNPC board personal interests, adding that the Chief of Staff to the President is piling enormous pressure on AMCON to give Seawolf a clean bill of health to resume business as a drilling services company with the NNPC without meeting its debt obligation to AMCON.
According to the report by SaharaReporters, said the petition, it was discovered that Mr. Adolor took loans from banks, using Seawolf as a front, wasted such on automobile and secretly established Valiant Offshore Contractors Limited.
"It was also revealed that the Chief of Staff is unethically exerting pressure on AMCON to sign off on Valiant’s worthiness to do business with the NNPC, despite its terrible state of indebtedness, by blaming First Bank of Nigeria for giving out the loan to Seawolf. AMCON is reported to have replied that Valiant could not be given a pass without paying off the debt it acquired through Seawolf," the petition quoted SaharaReporters as saying.
It similarly noted that it was disclosed that Mr. Kyari played a major role in stopping an investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) into a huge fraud by Sahara Energy, to which he is said to be an ally. Mr. Kyari was said to have placed a freeze order order on information about the raids on the company’s offices in Abuja and Lagos.
CSNAC is also demanding Mr. Kyari’s immediate removal from the NNPC board and his continued membership of the board, CSNAC explained, is capable of intimidating the corporation and derailing its progress.
"We shall be most grateful if the Presidency can treat this petition with the urgency it deserves," the group said.
