By Philip Agbese
I stumbled on the above quote. It was instructive to explain what some well-spirited Nigerians in public service go through in service to the country. Hard times and strong men; weak men and hard times. These are symptomatic and can be used to explain the events that led to the fuel scarcity experienced in the country in recent times.
I was alarmed when I noticed fuel queues. My instinct ran riot that I took inventory of the notorious era of fuel scarcity in the country despite being an oil-producing country. This time around, it was a strange feeling that I remembered I had somewhat lost touch with those in the position of authority in the oil and gas sector, especially in the past three years.
There is no gainsaying that the Muhammadu Buhari administration has strived to introduce reforms in the oil and gas regime in the country. Sometime in 2021, President Muhammadu Buhari signed the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021, bringing to a close a 20-year effort to reform Nigeria's oil and gas sector, intending to create an environment more conducive for the growth of the industry and addressing legitimate grievances of communities most impacted by extractive industries.
I recall the country celebrated the GMD of the NNPC, Mele Kyari, for taking the bulls by the horns in an industry where vested interests reign supreme. A brilliant chap whose grasp of the dynamics in Nigeria's oil and gas sector is impressive. Little wonder he was able to institutionalize a regime of transparency and accountability.
He is also a very daring man, one who is not afraid to speak power to the truth on critical issues in the sector. I recall his stance on the subsidy regime in the country, which was unpleasant in the ears of all-powerful oil marketers. Nonetheless, he stood his ground to mention but a few other instances.
So, my dismay knew no bounds when fuel queues resurfaced across the country. I must confess that I heaped the blame squarely on the NNPC, and I equally had some harsh words for Mele Kyari. I wondered what went wrong under his nose warranted the embarrassing sight of long fuel queues across the country.
This is on the heels of a steady supply of fuel across the country, especially in the last three years. I also recall that on instances where motorists engaged in panic buying after rumour mills went agog with suspected increment in pump price, he was quick to assuage the fears of Nigerians by insisting there is enough fuel in circulation the country. And true to his words, the queues disappeared in a jiffy. That is the quintessential Mele Kyari.
Back to the crux, not until information came in regarding the country's fuel shortage I had every reason to blame the NNPC GMD because the buck stops on his table. But I was wrong. I consequently asked questions because I smelt sabotage somewhere along the line. This much was systematically highlighted when he appeared before the House of Representatives Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream).
He was explicit in his submissions. He wasn’t dodgy or outrightly absolving the NNPC of any blame. Of course, the NNPC does not test for methanol. According to him, "we didn't see this coming "if his sincerity and humility doesn't melt your heart, I wonder what else you would do.
Hear him: What they (partners) are saying which we have accepted is that: 'I brought the product based on your specification and therefore I did not bring the adulterated product. They probably didn't know that it contains methanol and that methanol originated from the loading terminal. It is good to put this in perspective so that Nigerians are aware that what they (partners) are saying is that they have no liability. But it is not sustainable because we have also filed liquidated damages that they can pass on until it gets to the originating depot.”
The above, in my estimation, speaks volumes of a man guided by the conviction that in all circumstances, the larger interest should take centre stage and not personal interest. Mind you; he was on live television. He admitted the shortcomings of the NNPC, but I can bet that steps have been initiated towards testing for methanol. That is how proactive and sincere he could be. Those with which whose path has crossed would testify to his brilliant attributes.
Make no mistakes; I am not by any stretch of imagination absolving the powerful oil marketers of blame in the whole saga, as a fact, they must be blamed wholly, even though they have refused to accept liability for the importation of the adulterated product, it doesn’t change the fact that they are indeed liable.
We all know how powerful oil marketers are. They have held the country down for so long. In some quarters, it has been rumoured that they are the brain behind the continued importation of fuel into the country by ensuring that our refineries do not operate.
It is a cabal-like setting that gulps trillions of naira in subsidy payment. They are notoriously powerful. I am still surprised at how the country could sign the Petroleum Industry Act into law. Some say it was due to the efforts of Mele Kyari, and the oil marketers have not forgiven him for having the boldness to undertake such a venture.
Nonetheless, he has remained focused on sanitizing the industry to the commendation of industry watchers. In all, I believe that the likes of Mele Kyari are in short supply in Nigeria. Their passion for service remains unparalleled. We must thus be careful before we crucify him in the melee occasioned by fuel scarcity in the country.
As I mentioned earlier, within this period, lessons have been learnt, and steps are taken to forestall future reoccurrence. It is indeed a fact that hard times create strong men and strong men create good times. This is the story of Mele Kyari since he assumed leadership of the NNPC. His contributions to the revolution in the oil and gas sector in the country cannot be overemphasized.
Agbese is a human rights lawyer based in the UK.
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