By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

More troubles for the embattled Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited, (NNPCL), Mallam Mele Kyari, as more groups have signed up to join the two million man protest against his continued occupation of the exalted office.

This is coming at a time when some notable Niger Delta activists have issued 72 hours ultimatum for the sack of Kyari as the GCEO of the nation’s apex oil regulatory body, failure which would compel them to occupy the streets in Abuja and Port Harcourt.

In a press statement signed and made available to newsmen Thursday morning by Comrade Jack Dickson and Barr. Kingsley Idono, President and Secretary, respectively, on behalf of Niger Delta Activists for Renewed Hope (NDARH), the group lamented the non functioning of the Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna refineries, despite the trillions of naira injected for their rehabilitation, under Kyari.

“The man Mele Kyari, with careful examination, should be the richest Nigerian and 2nd most powerful man in Nigeria, aside the President. What was his worth before he became the GCEO?

“Even when he was just the GMD of NNPC, he was not this powerful, as his fate was dangling with the then President Muhammad Buhari. But the moment the Petroleum Investment Bill became an Act, Kyari became a demigod. He became so powerful that he believes no one could remove him – not even the President.

“That’s why he continues to propound and promote all the obnoxious and anti people policies and actions that have kept Nigerians in perpetual hardship and anguish, and advertently frustrating the good intentions of the Minister of Petroleum, President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, and his Renewed Hope Agenda for the masses as promised.

“Despite trillions of naira the government injected to making sure our refineries were rehabilitated, non is functioning and the man who should bury his head in shame and resign honourably, to give way to someone who would revive the plants from comatose and end incessant queues in our filing stations and crash the pump price to enable Nigerians smile again; has suddenly become more powerful than all Nigerians.

“After shifting the goalposts constantly until the September 30 deadline he gave, Kyari has suddenly gone dumb. He has refused to address Nigerians on why the refineries are still not working, as he promised, despite the billions of dollars he received.

“We in Niger Delta Activists for Renewed Hope will not keep quiet and allow an individual sabotage the agenda of Mr. President. We know how much we suffered to deliver this government in our region and Port Harcourt and Warri refineries were part of the promises we made to our people. Another election cycle is coming in 2027, we don’t know what to tell the people to win their votes again. That’s why we must all rise up to fight this ineptitude of Mele Kyari”, the statement reads.

Meanwhile, the Coalition of Civil Society Groups against Corruption in Energy Sector, has confirmed that more organizations were indicating interest to join the ongoing protest against the NNPCL boss.

Engr. Efe Irabor, the Spokesperson for the Coalition, while disclosing this in a statement on Wednesday, said Nigerians were already fed up with Kyari and his men, hence the national consciousness of the people to take their destiny in their own hands.

“We shall continue to mobilize more people until we gather 10 million Nigerians to protest on the streets of Abuja, Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna. We have plenty Comrades coming to sign up on behalf of their organizations and we are happy that everyone is beginning to see reason with us that Kyari must go. If the President likes it, let him keep him, until his government becomes very unpopular and the international community starts sanctioning the Nigerian government for being responsible for whatever will become of all of us at the long run”, Irabor said.

It would be recalled that, the coalition mobilized other Civil Society Groups and shut down National Assembly complex on Tuesday with the Kyari-Must-Go protest.

The 2-million anti-Kyari protesters are demanding immediate resignation of the NNPCL boss, Kyari or his sack by the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Tinubu, who also doubles as the Honourable Minister of Petroleum Resources.

By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

The government of Equatorial Guinea has fired Baltasar Ebang Engonga as Director General of the National Financial Investigation Agency (ANIF) after a series of sex tapes involving him and multiple women surfaced online.

It wrote, according to Real Equatorial Guinea, the dismissal of Mr. Engonga, the son of Baltasar Engonga Edjo (current president of the Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa, CEMAC), was formalized in Decree No. 118/2024, dated November 4.

The decree cited Mr. Engonga’s alleged misconduct in office and his family-related and social behavior as incompatible with public office.”

In response to the scandal, the First Lady of Equatorial Guinea, Mrs. Obiang, took to Facebook on Wednesday to call for immediate government action to protect the dignity of Equatoguinean women in the digital age.

Her office emphasised that while progress has been made in gender equality, proactive measures are necessary not only to address such incidents but to prevent them. “It is essential to create a safe and respectful environment for all women,” she said.

Prime Minister Osa Nsue also acknowledged the damaging impact of the situation, particularly on the country’s public image and gender equality initiatives.

He highlighted that the government was considering stricter privacy laws in light of the scandal. “The Government of Equatorial Guinea, aware of the impact of social media and the growing presence of private content on digital platforms, is contemplating strengthening laws related to privacy and personal data protection to prevent further violations of citizens’ rights,” said Mr. Nsue.

He added that the case had sparked a broader discussion on the boundaries of privacy in the digital age, urging for a comprehensive approach involving legislation, education, and social awareness to curb the spread of inappropriate online content.

Both the First Lady and Prime Minister expressed a shared commitment to restore public trust in institutions and safeguard the reputation of Equatoguinean women. They discussed potential strategies to prevent such incidents from happening again.

Meanwhile, Vice President Teodoro Nguema Obiang Mangue has ordered the country’s telecommunications ministry, regulator, and mobile providers to take action against the viral distribution of pornographic videos.

He stressed that the government cannot allow families to suffer due to the widespread circulation of Engonga’s video.

In a move to curb the spread of inappropriate content, the government imposed restrictions on the sharing of multimedia files over mobile data on platforms like WhatsApp. Local news outlet Ahora EG reported that citizens were frustrated by the new limitations, as they were forced to rely on Wi-Fi connections to share media.

The leak of the tapes is believed to have occurred while Mr. Engonga was incarcerated at Malabo’s notorious Black Beach prison for embezzling public funds.

In a related development, Equatorial Guinea’s chief prosecutor, Anatolio Nzang Nguema, assured the public that if medical tests confirmed Engonga had a sexually transmitted disease, he would be prosecuted for endangering public health.

Further to the ongoing investigation, Vice President Nguema announced that surveillance cameras would be installed in all state agency offices.

He explained that this initiative is part of efforts to ensure compliance with civil service laws, improve accountability, and tackle official misconduct.

“We will not tolerate any actions that tarnish the integrity of our administration,” he said, stressing that individuals involved in misconduct would face strict measures.

Additionally, he introduced a ban on sexual relations in the workplace, warning that any officer caught engaging in such behavior would face immediate dismissal.

“The ministries are solely and exclusively for carrying out administrative tasks in favor of the country’s development. It is forbidden to have sexual relations in offices,” he stated.

Recall TribuneOnline reported earlier that Baltasar Ebang Engonga had an intimate situations with several women, with sex tapes, reportedly over 400 in number some of whom are linked to high-profile figures in the country.

This prompted the government to suspend him initially, and subsequently, President Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo ordered his dismissal. (Tribune, excluding headline)