Mele Kyari once moved through Abuja’s corridors with the confidence of a man who commanded power. He stood beside presidents, addressed global energy summits and was the face of Nigeria’s oil establishment. Today, he is barely a whisper.
Kyari was replaced as Group CEO of NNPCL in April 2025 after six years at the helm. His successor, Bashir Ojulari, now occupies the corner office. That alone would not explain the silence. Former officials often resurface as board chairmen or policy advisers but Kyari has done neither.
The reason became clearer in September 2025. The EFCC detained and interrogated Kyari over the alleged misappropriation of $7.2 billion earmarked for refinery turnaround maintenance. A Federal High Court ordered the temporary freezing of four bank accounts linked to him. He was granted administrative bail, but the investigation has not concluded. He remains a key person of interest.
The silence, then, is not chosen but very likely forced, say experts. A man who once dominated headlines now avoids them. This is to be expected since on Nigeria’s table of political billiards, this is how the power cue screeches to an end. And this one is doing so with soft coughs as it slides into legal uncertainty.
Kyari’s supporters still point to his achievements, interestingly. He oversaw the transition of NNPC to a limited liability company. He helped push through the Petroleum Industry Act after nearly two decades of legislative failure. His defenders argue that he inherited a broken system and did his best.
But the $7.2 billion question hovers over everything. Until the EFCC concludes its case, Kyari exists in a strange limbo: not convicted, not cleared, not in power, and not entirely forgotten. And in Abuja, nothing bangs as loudly as silence.
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