$4 Billion Refinery Fraud: Protesters Storm ICPC Headquarters, Call for Probe of MSM Group’s Connection to Missing Funds

Hundreds of protesters, led by the Concerned Lawyers and Citizens Network (CLCN), stormed the headquarters of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) in Abuja on Thursday demanding an immediate investigation into what they described as a massive $4 billion fraud involving the MSM Group and missing funds meant for Nigeria’s refinery rehabilitation.

In a speech delivered by Sambari G. Benjamin, Esq., the CLCN accused the MSM Group, a conglomerate with ties to Engineer Mele Kolo Kyari, former Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), of being a front for laundering stolen public funds.

The group pointed to the mysterious disappearance of $2.896 billion allocated for the rehabilitation of the Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna refineries, which remain non-functional despite the massive investment.

“We are here because something is deeply wrong,” Benjamin declared to a crowd of supporters and journalists.

“MSM Group is not just a business; it is a vessel of money laundering, a shell of secrecy, and a front for repurposing stolen public funds.”

The CLCN highlighted MSM Group’s recent $2.4 billion deal with the Kebbi State Government to build a cement plant, questioning the source of the funds and the company’s sudden emergence in industries ranging from oil and gas to cement and agriculture.

The protesters raised concerns about a conflict of interest, noting that a former bank account officer of Kyari is now a director at MSM Group, and the conglomerate has refused to disclose its investors or funding sources.

“How did MSM Group secure $2.4 billion with no prior footprint in cement?” Benjamin asked.

“Why do these funds correspond with the missing money meant for our refineries? This is not coincidence. This is corruption with a family name.”

The protesters demanded that the ICPC launch a full-scale investigation into MSM Group’s financial operations, uncover its links to Kyari’s tenure at NNPCL, expose its investors and directors, and recover every kobo diverted from the refinery funds.

They also called for accountability for all individuals involved, regardless of their influence.

“We speak for the mechanic in Kaduna, the mother in Warri, and the youth in Port Harcourt who have been robbed of opportunity, dignity, and truth,” Benjamin said.

“This is about justice and restoring faith in our institutions.”

The CLCN vowed to continue their agitation until the truth is revealed and justice is served, warning that Nigerians will not be silenced or intimidated.

“Let this day be remembered as the moment Nigerians stood up and said: Enough is enough with the theft of our commonwealth,” Benjamin concluded.

No More Excuses: Nigeria Must Rise Through Unity and Vision.

By George Omagbemi Sylvester | Published by saharaweeklyng.com

Integrity is not optional; it is survival. United we rebuild – NO MORE EXCUSES, ONLY RESULTS.

Nigeria stands at a crossroads. Blessed with human capital that numbers in the hundreds of millions and with resources that should have secured prosperity for every citizen, the nation instead wrestles with UNDERDEVELOPMENT, FRAGMENTATION and the CORROSIVE EFFECTS of POOR GOVERNANCE. The cure is neither sentimental nor simple; it is structural. When vision meets unity (when a clear, courageous national plan is backed by an unwavering commitment to integrity and justice) nations rise. Nigeria can and must be that nation. This is not rhetoric. It is a prescription grounded in evidence, proven theory and the lived experiences of countries that have turned crises into breakthroughs.

First, the facts: Nigeria now has a population exceeding 230 million people (Africa’s Largest) a demographic engine that, IF WELL-GOVERNED, could deliver a continental renaissance. Yet chronic weaknesses persist. Recent official recalculations show Nigeria’s GDP grew after rebasing, revealing a larger economy than previously recorded, but that statistical upgrade masks stubborn problems: unemployment, especially among youth, widespread informality in the labour market and persistent poverty for millions. These are not abstract numbers; they are human destinies deferred.

Why has such potential failed to translate into sustained progress? Because institutions (the rules, norms and organizations that structure public life) remain too often extractive rather than inclusive. Scholars such as Daron Acemoglu have shown that nations fail when political and economic institutions reward a narrow elite who capture state power and divert wealth away from development. In short: growth without inclusive institutions becomes theft dressed as policy. Nigeria’s challenge is not merely TECHNICAL; it is POLITICAL.

Corruption and weak accountability are not peripheral problems; they are central. Transparency International’s sustained analysis of governance around the world underscores how corrupt practices erode public trust, distort markets and lock countries into cycles of underperformance. For Nigeria, this means that every naira misallocated is an opportunity lost; a CLINIC not BUILT, a CLASSROOM SHUTTERED, a MICRO-ENTERPRISE that never SCALED. The structural fix requires the unglamorous work of building systems that make theft harder and public service more attractive.

Structural reform cannot succeed without social cohesion. Unity is not uniformity; it is a pact between diverse citizens to prioritize the common good. Nigeria’s pluralism (ETHNIC, RELIGIOUS, REGIONAL) is a strength when governed through institutions that guarantee rights, distribute opportunities fairly and punish wrongdoing impartially. Unity under a robust legal framework transforms diversity into an engine of creativity and resilience rather than a battlefield for resources.

Concrete steps to rebuild Nigeria must combine vision with relentless execution:

Reform institutions, not personalities. Reform is local and institutional. It demands independent judiciaries, merit-based civil services and transparent procurement. As economist Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has argued in her public interventions and writings, NATION-BUILDING requires “Decisions – tough, unpopular, but necessary ones.” Strong institutions reduce the scope for patronage politics and create predictable rules for investors and citizens alike.

Make anti-corruption systems bite. Transparency alone is insufficient; enforcement that produces consequences is essential. Strengthen anti-corruption courts, protect whistleblowers, modernize asset declarations and bring procurement into the open with digital platforms. The combination of technology and legal will turns OPACITY into ACCOUNTABILITY.

Invest in human capital at scale. Nigeria’s greatest asset is its people. Focus on universal basic health coverage, quality primary education and vocational pathways that link young people to real jobs. Tackling the twin demons of youth UNEMPLOYMENT and UNDEREMPLOYMENT requires PUBLIC-PRIVATE apprenticeship schemes, accelerated investment in agriculture & manufacturing and targeted microfinance that incentivizes formalization.

Economic diversification with small-business engines. The rebasing of Nigeria’s GDP exposed a larger services and digital economy. Policymakers must now catalyze this momentum: reduce the cost of doing business, stabilize exchange-rate policy to attract long-term capital and provide targeted support to SMEs that create most jobs. Dambisa Moyo’s critique of aid (that external money can entrench bad governance) is a cautionary reminder: true development must be led by domestic reforms that create incentives for productivity and accountability.

National civic compact and truth-telling. A durable rebuild requires a national conversation; not the shallow, media-driven variety but a serious civic compact that identifies past failures, names responsible parties where appropriate and charts a shared path forward. Truth commissions, constitutional reform conversations and civic education campaigns can transform grievance into collective responsibility.

A security architecture that respects rights. Without safety, investment and innovation stall. Security responses must be intelligence-led, rights-respecting and accompanied by socio-economic measures that address the root causes of banditry, insurgency and criminality. Militarized responses alone will never deliver lasting peace.

These steps are neither utopian nor untested. Countries that have broken cycles of extraction did so by aligning elite incentives with national interest, by making corruption risky & costly and by investing in the long-term capacities of their people. Acemoglu’s research into institutions confirms that inclusive political settlements unlock sustainable prosperity; Okonjo-Iweala’s career demonstrates that competent, courageous policy-makers can nudge nations toward better outcomes. Evidence matters: it delivers results when combined with political courage.

Let us be blunt: Nigerians have been failed by POOR LEADERSHIP, COMPLACENT BUREAUCRACY and VESTED INTERESTS that prefer the status quo. YET BLAMING ALONE ACHIEVES NOTHING. The pathway forward is accountability paired with an affirmative agenda that attracts broad social ownership. Civil society, business, faith groups and political leaders must each accept a share of responsibility and a share of sacrifice. That is the compact of national rebuilding.

We must also seize the moment. The world is not waiting for Nigeria to get its act together; capital, talent and geopolitics are mobile. Neither are opportunities wholly outside our control. With the right reforms, Nigeria will reclaim its position as an engine of African growth and a leader in continental governance. The recalibrated GDP and recent signs of growth are promising signals; but they must be translated into lived improvements for ordinary Nigerians: cleaner water, powered clinics, functioning schools and dignified work.

In closing, a fierce, disciplined optimism is required: optimism that acknowledges failure, names it, but refuses to hide behind it. Unity without vision is directionless. Vision without unity is fragile. When vision meets unity; when a shared plan rooted in integrity, justice and evidence is embraced by citizens and enforced by institutions and then NATIONS RISE. Nigeria’s renaissance is possible. It will not be granted; it will be built, brick by painstaking brick, by a citizenry and leadership willing to choose the country’s future over short-term gain.

“Change,” as Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has insisted, “is about decisions; tough, unpopular, but necessary ones.” Let our leaders and our people make those decisions now. The cost of delay is not merely economic: it is moral. Rebuilding Nigeria is an obligation to future generations. Let us meet it together.

George O. Sylvester
Published by saharaweeklyng.com

Umaru Bago: Dissecting Apostle Suleman’s Lecture on Transience of Power

Should religious leaders directly address contemporary political issues? In every aspect, yes. And one of the vocal Christian leaders, Apostle Johnson Suleman, is strengthening the truth of this belief with credible and relevant proof.

Apostle Suleman spoke to the order issued by the Niger State governor, Umaru Bago, to pastors to secure official permits before preaching in the state. Suleman’s lecture two weeks ago indicates that such an order only reflects the politician’s fear of being told the truth. Politicians are not interested in the truth, it suggests. They want to be told things that make them feel good and things that support their prejudices.

“I heard about one governor; Niger State governor. The man said that anybody that wants to preach in his state must come and get a license. I do not support any preacher preaching against anybody. Preach peace. But don’t show any governor your notes. For a governor to see your notes, he must also show us how he spends the state money. Once he publishes how he spends the state money, we will also publish our message notes,” the leader of the Omega Fire Ministries (OFM) worldwide, declares, implying that religion offers a moral framework that is directly relevant to policy issues and thus religious leaders are qualified to speak to politics.

Warning that religion and politics should be kept separate and therefore pastors should preach the word rather than be partisan, Apostle Suleman cautioned that “issues of religion leave it, issues of tribe leave it. Religious and tribal wars can consume a state. I’ve always said that when it comes to security issues I will speak and when it comes to Christianity I will speak. I won’t keep quiet when you try to mutilate our faith and what we stand for. Be careful. The profit of governance is welfare; people can feed, people are happy.”

Suggesting that power changes hands, political power is transient; it comes and goes, Suleman implores political office holders to use power wisely. A legacy becomes beautiful, enduring, powerful when power is used to serve the interests of the people. “People desire things not knowing that life is transient. Anything God gives to you, value it. Don’t use that office and position to oppress people. It’s a matter of time. Whatever God gives you to you today, don’t abuse power. You were elected and you’ll be out of office one day. Don’t become a terrorist; everybody is shaken. It shouldn’t be so. Whatever you have today, you’ll leave it one day. Glorify God with it,” he lectures.

On account of the above, Apostle Suleman elucidates that once powerful men will one day move through the corridors of power only as statesmen, no longer as the ultimate decision makers.