Stakeholders in oil/gas industry express concern over NNPC board appointments

Stakeholders in the Nigerian oil and gas industry have raised concerned about the seemly insensitivity of government in respect of the recent appointments it made into the board of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) in view of the latest development in the Niger Delta.

 The stakeholders said the appointment had further demonstrated that the government was not in tune with the reality in the Niger Delta.

 The appointments they said had not demonstrated equity and inclusiveness, as it was lopsided and tilted towards a particular section of the country.

According to a top official of  one of the associations  in the  industry, even  though the  board is mere rubber stamp, as it only approves contracts, it should  have at least reflect the national  spread in view  of the  problems happening  in the Niger Delta, and demonstrate their concerns for the people of Niger Delta.

 He said getting a new group managing director for the NNPC was the right thing to do, as making one person to hold  the position in addition  to being a minister, which does  not  give room for checks and  balances.

However, in his own comment, Chambers Oyibo, former   group managing director of NNPC, said NNPC had always had group managing director that was supervised by a minister of petroleum, who is the chairman of the board, saying that  this had always been the arrangement.

“NNPC prepares it programme and the board approves it, but when the same man reports to himself it is not good for proper operations of the corporation,” Oyibo.

He said the   minister  had brought   new skills  to NNPC  in the last eight months he had stayed, and brought the NNPC  closer to the  people  through  the  monthly  report, saying, “He has tried his best.”

Also commenting, Francis Olabode Johnson, president, Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior  Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), said  the development had been long awaited, saying  that his  union had been agitating that NNPC  should  have board  in the last eight  months.  The board, he said,   has approval limit for any contract  that  it will approved.

President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday appointed Maikanti Baru as the new group managing director of the NNPC, following the appointment and composition of the board of the corporation.

Minister of state for petroleum, Ibe Kachikwu, chairs the new board with Baru and the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Finance as members. Other members include Abba Kyari, Thomas John,  Pius Akinyelure,  Tajuddeen Umar, Mohammed Lawal, and Yusuf Lawal.