Mele Kyari @61: Celebrating Impact Beyond Office at Nigeria’s Energy Nerve Centre

By Abdullahi Sabiu

“Mele Kyari is a man of action, rather than words. He is proactive in his approach. He has ability to diagnose complicated problems with thoughtful and pragmatic solutions.”
— President Bola Ahmed Tinubu [January, 2025]

At 61, Mele Kyari’s public service story is best told not by the offices he has occupied, but by the systems he strengthened and the reforms he dared to institutionalise. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s tribute captures, with rare precision, the essence of a technocrat whose legacy in Nigeria’s energy sector is anchored on action, not rhetoric.
As former Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Kyari operated at the nerve centre of Nigeria’s economy—an arena historically weighed down by inefficiencies, opacity, and political overhang. His leadership marked a decisive shift from that past. Calm, deliberate, and data-driven, he approached problems not with noise, but with diagnosis—quietly applying pragmatic solutions to deeply rooted challenges.
One of the most defining chapters of his tenure was the transition of NNPC into a commercially oriented limited liability company. This was not a cosmetic reform. It was a structural overhaul that demanded transparency, fiscal discipline, and a new governance culture. Under Kyari, NNPCL began publishing audited financial statements, aligning operations with global standards and rebuilding credibility with investors, partners, and Nigerians alike.
Beyond corporate restructuring, Kyari’s stewardship was shaped by the urgency of energy security. Amid global market disruptions and domestic supply pressures, he prioritised stabilising fuel availability, advancing gas as Nigeria’s transition fuel, and supporting refinery rehabilitation through public-private collaboration. These efforts reflected a long-term vision focused on sustainability, competitiveness, and national resilience.
His leadership was equally tested in moments of crisis—subsidy reforms, pipeline vandalism, production volatility, and public scrutiny. In such moments, Kyari distinguished himself by restraint and resolve. He chose engagement over excuses, solutions over blame, and facts over sentiment. That disposition earned him respect across government and industry, even among critics.
Now, as a former GCEO, Kyari’s influence endures beyond office. The institutional culture he helped shape, the accountability frameworks he entrenched, and the reformist momentum he sustained remain part of NNPCL’s evolving identity. His legacy underscores an important truth: in public service, lasting impact is measured not by tenure, but by transformation.
At 61, Mele Kyari represents a model of leadership Nigeria urgently needs—technocratic, principled, and focused on outcomes. His journey through the nation’s most strategic sector affirms that quiet competence, when matched with courage, can indeed move institutions and redefine national possibilities.

Uba Sani and the Steady Restoration of Security in Kaduna State

Amid rising public debate on insecurity, it is necessary to state clearly that Kaduna State under Governor Uba Sani has recorded notable improvements in security through deliberate, coordinated and intelligence-driven leadership. Contrary to.some opinions, the state is not abandoned to violence, nor is its leadership indifferent to the plight of citizens.

From the outset, Governor Uba Sani placed security at the centre of governance, strengthening collaboration with federal security agencies, supporting logistics and prioritising community-based intelligence.

This approach has led to improved response times, increased patrols and the gradual reopening of farmlands and roads that were once unsafe. Many successful operations, including the rescue of abducted persons, have understandably remained outside the public space for operational reasons.

These gains have been further reinforced by the appointment of General Christopher Gwabin Musa as Minister of Defence. His operational experience and strategic coordination have strengthened military responses nationwide, with Kaduna State benefiting from enhanced deployments, intelligence-led operations and the establishment and reinforcement of Forward Operating Bases in critical areas.

Governor Uba Sani has consistently emphasised unity and reconciliation over negative criticism, engaging traditional rulers, community leaders and stakeholders to rebuild trust and prevent conflict. While insecurity remains a national challenge, Kaduna State has moved from reactive firefighting to proactive prevention.

The reality is clear: Kaduna is safer today than it was in the recent past. Challenges remain, but the direction is positive, and the results reflect purposeful leadership rather than political noise.

Nigeria is in Trump’s sights. Will it be next?

…Alake favouring China and Chagoury puts Tinubu at risk.

By Biliyaminu Suraj
biliyasuraj247@yahoo.com
American forces captured Venezuela’s now-deposed president Nicolás Maduro and his wife in a major military attack in the country’s capital, Caracas.
Maduro and his wife, were flown out of the country and placed on a US-bound warship to face a criminal trial in New York. President Trump said, “the US will temporarily run Venezuela until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition”.
The military action follows allegations by Mr Trump of Maduro running a corrupt and illegitimate dictatorship.
President Trump does not seem concerned by international law experts who say the attack appears to blatantly breach the UN Charter, which only permits member states to use force against another in two circumstances: either with the endorsement of the Security Council, or in self-defence.
Mr Trump also said he is “ready to stage a second and much larger attack if we need to”.
US Attorney-General Pam Bondi released documents alleging Mr Maduro “sits atop a corrupt, illegitimate government that, for decades, has leveraged government power to protect and promote illegal activity”. This description by the US Attorney-General could equally apply to Nigeria.
President Tinubu has recently come into Mr Trump’s orbit with Mr Trump accusing the Tinubu Administration of allowing jihadist forces to target Christian villages and massacre thousands of Christians. Trump authorised a US Senate delegation to investigate and report directly to him as a matter of urgency. The evidence collected by the Senators during their trip to Nigeria was deeply disturbing. It wasn’t long before a US warship stationed in the Gulf of Guinea launched a successful missile strike on an ISIS camp in Northern Nigeria. That was a warning shot to President Tinubu to do more to prevent the killing of Christians and do it quickly.
The further dimension to the US-Nigeria tension is the blatant action by Mines Minister Alake in channelling critical minerals discoveries away from the US to Chinese companies and allowing President Tinubu’s benefactor, Gilbert Chagoury, to take his share too.
Chagoury is well known for his role as Sani Abacha’s bagman. After Abacha died in 1998, having looted Nigeria’s treasury of approximately $5billion, Chagoury agreed to return an estimated $300 million to the Nigerian government to secure his indemnity from possible criminal charges. He currently serves as Saint Lucia’s Ambassador to the Holy See and Permanent Delegate to UNESCO which conveniently affords him diplomatic immunity. His close connections to Tinubu are well known so it should come as no surprise that, after Mines Minister Alake revoked Jupiter Lithium Ltd’s titles to Nigeria’s largest lithium project which Jupiter discovered and developed over the last decade, the Jupiter Lithium Project’s titles were given to Chagoury’s companies.
Maybe President Tinubu didn’t realise that Jupiter Lithium Ltd, a UK company, had signed a deal to supply critical minerals to American Resources, a NASDAQ listed company.
The Jupiter Project is one of the world’s largest deposits of lithium and other critical minerals. It is also one of the world’s lowest cost and highest grade deposits. It has been held in limbo for two years by Nigeria’s court while Mines Minister Alake has been trying to figure out how to get the project off Jupiter Lithium Ltd and give it to the Chinese. The answer came in the form of Gilbert Chagoury. Chagoury employed an Australian, Colin Ikin, to set up a series of front companies to whom the Mining Cadastre Office would award the critical minerals tenements they had revoked from Jupiter Lithium Ltd. Jupiter Lithium Ltd were ejected from their tenements in November 2025 by Nigeria’s Civil Defence Corps who then escorted Chagoury’s Chinese miners to site to commence mining. But the local communities did not like Ikin or the Chinese. They wanted to continue with the Jupiter Project and all the community development Jupiter had been undertaking for several years. The community leaders challenged the Minister and Ikin. The community was attacked by Fulani herdsmen who used machetes to hack several villages, chopping of one girl’s hand. Such is the intimidation of communities who are told that if they comply with the request for consent to mine the attacks will stop.
The result: the communities live in fear after Jupiter’s staff and security were removed, Gilbert Chagoury becomes the owner of Nigeria’s largest critical minerals project, China secures all the product from one of the world’s largest critical minerals deposits and the US gets … absolutely nothing.
So, by favouring China and Chagoury, Mines Minister Alake has likely put President Bola Tinubu on the list of persons of interest to President Trump.

‎
‎‘Bring Back Our Pride: Shelleng/Guyuk Needs You’; Adamawa Community Pledges Support for Kiri’s Federal Bid
‎
‎
‎
‎Residents of Shelleng and Guyuk Local Government Areas in Adamawa State have rallied behind Chief Comrade Musa Abbas Kiri, the current Jarman Shelleng and Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs to contest for the Shelleng/Guyuk Federal Constituency seat in the House of Representatives.
‎
‎Under the rallying cry “Bring Back Our Pride: Shelleng/Guyuk Needs You”, community leaders, youth groups, women associations, and elders gathered in Shelleng to pledge unwavering support for Kiri’s ambition ahead of the 2027 general elections.
‎
‎One of the Supporters praised Kiri’s distinguished career in public service, highlighting his rise from a trade unionist to a top civil servant and traditional title holder.
‎
‎Born in 1972, Kiri holds a B.Sc. in Public Administration from the University of Maiduguri and an M.A. from Modibbo Adama University. He previously served as State Chairman of the Senior Staff Association of Statutory Corporations and Government Owned Companies, and as Chairman of the Trade Union Congress in Adamawa from 2007 to 2015.
‎
‎Appointed Permanent Secretary in 2023 after a competitive examination, Kiri has been commended for his administrative excellence and commitment to grassroots development.
‎
‎His recent turbaning as Jarman Shelleng in 2024 further solidified his standing as a bridge between traditional institutions and modern governance.
‎
‎Community leaders described Kiri as the ideal candidate to restore effective representation to the constituency, citing his integrity, accessibility, and track record. “Musa Abbas Kiri is our pride.
‎
‎He understands our challenges – from infrastructure deficits to agricultural needs around the Kiri Dam area – and has the experience to deliver at the federal level,” said a prominent elder from Guyuk.
‎
‎The Shelleng/Guyuk Federal Constituency, encompassing diverse communities along the Gongola River basin, has long sought stronger advocacy for projects like road networks, irrigation from the Kiri Dam, and youth empowerment. Supporters believe Kiri’s dual role in chieftaincy and civil service positions him uniquely to attract federal interventions.
‎
‎Women and youth groups emphasized Kiri’s inclusive leadership style, noting his past advocacy for workers’ rights and community welfare.
‎
‎“He has always fought for the common man. Now, Shelleng/Guyuk needs him in Abuja to bring back our pride,” a youth leader declared.
‎
‎While Kiri has yet to formally declare his candidacy, sources close to him indicate consultations are ongoing with stakeholders across party lines. Political observers note that his bid could reshape the constituency’s landscape, given his non-partisan appeal rooted in service.
‎
‎As Adamawa gears up for 2027, the enthusiastic endorsement in Shelleng signals growing momentum for homegrown leaders to champion local interests at the national level.

Dauda Iliya Achieved Notable Success In under a year

Hon. Dauda Iliya Kudan Local Government Chairman Made Significant Strides

By Comrade Musa Mohammed Moonlight

Hon. Dauda Iliya, the Executive Chairman of Kudan Local Government Area, of Kaduna state, has made significant strides in improving the local government area

The loca government Boss has achieved notable success in under a year, focusing on infrastructure, agriculture, and social welfare. His initiatives include constructing roads, promoting agriculture, and supporting education and healthcare.

Some key achievements include:

• Infrastructure Development: Awarding contracts for ten road network projects across ten wards.

Construction of roads, including Tashar Kade-Garu and Kudan township road, improving connectivity.

• Agricultural Growth: Supporting farmers through the Kudan Agro-Development Initiative (KADI) and promoting crops like grapes, tomatoes, and sugarcane.
• Social Welfare: Providing financial
  Support for students, women, and vulnerable groups, including N3 million donations to worship places and indigenuous students.
  Also, promoting peace and security.

Investing in education is investing in the future, and his gesture will surely have a positive impact on the community.

Hon. Dauda Iliya’s efforts have improved living standards and attracted investors to Kudan Local Government Area.

Hon. Iliya is off to a great start.
His focus on social welfare / Amenities, health and education is exactly what the people of Kudan needs.

NIGERIA PATRIOTIC FRONT MOVEMENT (NPFM)

Motto:

Development, Freedom, and Social Justice

---

PRESS RELEASE

SOLIDARITY MESSAGE

IN DEFENCE OF VENEZUELAN SOVEREIGNTY; AGAINST U.S.–ZIONIST AGGRESSION

CRIMINAL IMPERIALISM is at it again. Day 3 in 2026 opened with American bombs dropping on Caracas, Miranda, Aragua, and La Guaira in Venezuela. This aggression has been on the works since the Zionist puppet, Donald J. Trump, returned to office as president of the U.S. a year ago.

The first allegation against the Venezuelan president, Nicolas Maduro, was couched by the American president as an anti drugs campaign. This false accusation painted Maduro as a drugs dealer, on whose head a $50 million bounty was placed. Benjamin Natanyahu, the ICC indicted genocide perpetrator prime minister of Israel, was with Trump every step of the way. Reason: Maduro was implacably pro-Palestine and anti-Zionist.

OIL GRAB. It will be recalled that president Trump had earlier declared Venezuelan oil as the property of U.S. capital. Therefore he will recover it. He went on to impose a blockade on the country’s airspace, ports, and oil exports. Prior, a long and tight financial squeeze was on Caracas. In fact, oil tankers bound for Cuba and China from Venezuela were forcefully seized by U.S. marines and taken to America as Trump’s booty. This act of international piracy was condemned by the free peoples of the world.

PRESIDENT MADURO rightly declared national mobilisation to defend his country against the unfolding U.S. imposed attacks. Columbian president Gustavo Pedro condemned the American attacks. Pedro himself was threatened by Trump, and his country could be next on the bombing list.

Although the Zionist puppet president of the U.S. has not formally declared war against Venezuela, he demanded that President Maduro must leave power for U.S. puppets to run the country. Some of these actors have already promised to handover the country’s oil to U.S. firms.

THIS PRESSURE TACTICS of the U.S. regime is part of a grand design to corner the world’s largest known (dark heavy) crude oil reserves in Venezuela, suited to U.S. refineries. In addition the country is rich in gold and rare earth.

THIS MILITARISTIC BEHAVIOUR OF PRESIDENT TRUMP signals, as many have observed, a return to a cruder version of the Munro doctrine. The November 2025 U.S. National Security Strategy document did consider South America as the exclusive preserve of the U.S. The old colonial mentality has returned to Washington with vengeance. The Barbarian Manifesto is fast unfolding. Sovereignty and international law are trampled upon. The UN is disregarded. Jungle justice is supreme. Might is law. Donald Trump is the law giver.

MADURO CAPTURED. As we write, president Trump announced on Truth Social that president Nicolas Maduro has been captured and flown out of the country with his wife. This criminal act of capturing a legitimate head of state in the global south and forcibly transporting him to America for trial on fake drugs and fire arms possession charges smacks of colonialism in the 21st century. The U.S. Delta Force that carried out this attack bombed both civilian and military targets, including power plants and critical infrastructure. The death toll is as yet unknown. But Trump has already targeted and killed occupants of fishing boats off the coast of Venezuela for weeks now. A crime he justified as anti drugs war.

THE RESPONSE OF THE VENEZUELAN GOVERNMENT has been resolute: The vice president, interior and defence ministers, all have spoken. Their collective message is that:

“No one should make things easy for our invaders. We will win in the end”, said the Interior Minister.

“Venezuela is free, independent, and sovereign”, stated the Defence Minister.

And “We want proof of life from the U.S. government for president Maduro and his wife” said the Vice president, Delcy Rodriguez.

SOS LESSON: NEITHER MOSCOW NOR BEIJING can save any developing country when Empire strikes in its backyard and beyond. We should never confuse friendly commercial and diplomatic ties with military protection. We saw this in Syria where the Assad regime was deposed by groups the U.S itself labelled terrorists after prolonged sanctions brought 80 percent of the people to absolute poverty. Not even the Syrian military escaped the brokenness. Moscow and Beijing can arm and support you diplomatically. But you have to unite your own people and do the heavy lifting.

WE IN NIGERIA AND AFRICA must draw the appropriate lessons and realise that there is no wisdom in mortgaging national security to malevolent imperialists, as president Tinubu has done with his “strategic cooperation agreement” with the transactional Trump administration and, by extension, the criminal Natanyahu regime in Tel Aviv that is currently co-coordinating the undeclared war against Venezuela.

TO GIVE ISRAEL A FOOTHOLD IN NIGERIA’S cyber, intelligence, and military communication networks is tantamount to treason. For Israel has never supported any policy that will strengthen Africa. If anything it frequently backs secessionist movements and supply warring groups on the continent with weapons. It is the Shylock doctrine.

WAR CRIMINALS AS SAVIOURS. By bringing rogue actors such as president Trump and prime minister Natanyahu into our national security vortex, in the name of fighting terrorism, we are opening ourselves to deeper infiltration, perennial subversion and potential dismemberment.

PUPPETS WORLD. As we can see, the U.S. propped up puppets such as Maria Corina Machado, who was given the 2025 discredited Nobel Peace Prize for her opposition activities in Venezuela where she is the face of the NGO industrial complex and anti Maduro politics. By her own words, they will give the country’s vast oil resources to U.S. capital. Equally worrying is Machado’s pro-Zionist disposition. She refused to condemn Israel’s genocide in Gaza. This deplorable character, decorated with what some in the international human rights community have described as the Nobel War Prize, is now waiting in the wings to move in on Caracas like hungry vultures to renew its plunder.

WE MUST NOT LOOSE SIGHT OF THE GEOSTRATEGIC PICTURE. The Trump administration attacked Venezuela under the pretext of fighting against drugs trafficking. He threatened to bomb Iran in the name of protecting civilians protesting currency devaluation. He bombed Nigeria under the guise of ending “Christian genocide” in the country. He is still occupying parts of Syria rich in oil and grains. What do all these countries have in common? Oil.

THIS DEMONISE, ISOLATE, AND DESTROY (DID) DOCTRINE of Trump is not alien to anyone familiar with colonial and imperial savagery in the global South. Trump is bringing back this gunboat behaviour partly to capture precious global resources for U.S. capital in his war against BRICS+. “By the time I leave office there will be no BRICS”, he bragged. Never mind that Nigeria and Syria are not members of BRICS+. But Iran is, with Venezuela not far behind, while Nigeria was nursing the ambition. With Trump’s bombings countries such as Nigeria may freeze their BRICS+ dreams for the foreseeable future.

BY TAKING OUT NICOLAS MADURO, Donald Trump has turned himself into the colonial overlord of Venezuela. He is now dictating who should or should not govern the country. The Juan Guido’s, Maria Corina Machado’s, and other Trojans are already ramping up the “blame Maduro” narrative to deflect their criminal culpability in the treason against their homeland. Here we are not merely talking about opposition politics, we are talking about the worst form of treachery: Selling your mother to a rapist.

IS TINUBU NOT SELLING NIGERIA to the U.S. and Zionist Israel just to stay in power by all means?

This is the question that all who care about and love Nigeria must answer as we follow the rapidly unfolding events in far away Venezuela.

WE STRONGLY SUPPORT THE SOVEREIGN RIGHTS OF THE VENEZUELAN PEOPLE to determine their own destiny. We call on the working and toiling people’s across the globe to oppose U.S. and Zionist military intervention in Venezuela. This brutal trampling of international law and sovereignty must not stand. We cannot return the hand of history backwards. The 1884 and 1885 Berlin Conference that carved up colonies in Africa was defeated for good in the independence struggles of the 1950, 60, and 70s up to the end of apartheid.

AFRICANS more than any other humans on planet earth must be concerned about this brigandage of the Trump regime. His criminality, racism, disrespect for people who don’t look like him, and pathological narcissism must alert us enough to resist Empire’s aggression on our continent.

Trump place more premium on white than black lives. In Venezuela he was more interested in people with Spanish blood than the likes of Maduro from working class and indigenous stock.

We support the call for an emergency UN Security Council (a talking shop) and OAS meeting to defend international law and state sovereignty. Jungle injustice must not prevail. The man-child in the White House and his growing lawless regime must not prevail. President Maduro and his wife must be free to return to their homeland without harm. In this specific case history will vindicate them and condemn Donald Trump as a War Criminal.

The Nigeria Patriotic Front Movement remain resolutely anti imperialist and anti-Zionist. We call on president Tinubu to urgently scrap the furtive strategic cooperation agreement reached with the criminal Trump regime, and any similar agreement reached with the genocide gangsters in Tel Aviv. Nigeria must not become a violent playground of imperialism and Zionism. To allow this to happen is the worst security threat to the sovereignty of the country since the civil war. Don’t say that you were not warned.

Signed: © The Collective
Nigeria Patriotic Front Movement (NPFM)
Abuja – Nigeria
3rd January 2027