A Facebook post alleges that the Group Managing Director (GMD) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mele Kyari, secretly awarded the pipeline rehabilitation contract to a northern “cabal,” ignoring the Igbo people in the country’s south.
The Explainer fact checker investigated the claim by analysing information provided by the official X (formerly Twitter) handle of the NNPC. According to the NNPC’s statement, the contracts for pipeline rehabilitation were awarded following a competitive tender process that adhered to transparent evaluation criteria and industry norms. The Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) standards were followed, and regulatory bodies such as the Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission, along with stakeholders like NEITI and the Ministry of Justice, actively participated in the project development and evaluation.
The NNPC clarified that the consortium members, listed for each lot involved in the pipeline rehabilitation project, were solely responsible for providing financial support. Importantly, the NNPC emphasized that there was no transfer of control of assets to any specific company or group. The contracts are explicitly designed as Build, Operate, and Transfer agreements, aimed at improving the integrity and functionality of the pipelines for efficient transportation of crude oil to refineries and distribution throughout Nigeria.
Based on the information obtained, the Explainer fact checker concludes that the claim alleging Mele Kyari secretly awarded control of Nigeria’s pipelines to a northern “cabal” is false. The NNPC has refuted these allegations and stated that the contracts were awarded through a competitive tender process, adhering to transparency and industry standards, and involving recognized regulatory bodies and stakeholders.
