KEY POINTS
- Tinubu faces pressure over refinery project funds.
- Lawyers demand forensic audit and EFCC action.
- Protesters say mismanagement eroded public trust.
More than 500 lawyers, professionals and civil rights activists marched to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission headquarters in Abuja on Wednesday, pressing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to prove his anti-corruption resolve.
The protest, organised under the Concerned Lawyers and Citizens Network, focused on $4 billion refinery rehabilitation projects undertaken during the tenure of former Nigerian National Petroleum Company chief Mele Kyari. Demonstrators called for a forensic audit and demanded that the EFCC prosecute anyone implicated.
Refinery scandal tests Tinubu’s anti-corruption stance
Barrister Theophilus Ojonugwa, who led the march, described the refinery controversy as a defining test for Tinubu’s administration. He linked the stalled projects to Nigeria’s ongoing dependence on imported petroleum products.
Group demands forensic audit of refinery funds
The Network’s petition to the EFCC urged an independent audit, including international experts, to ensure transparency. It also called for scrutiny of all companies linked to the projects and recovery of assets where possible.
Anti-corruption fight tied to public trust
Protesters argued that the alleged mismanagement represented missed chances to fund healthcare, education and jobs. “If $4 billion had been properly invested, Nigeria would be self-sufficient in refining today,” Ojonugwa said.
