NNPC Debunks Ethnic Bias Claims, Says Tinubu Does Not Interfere in Operations

NNPC Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Olufemi Soneye

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) has said that President Bola Tinubu does not interfere in its operations, or influence movements within it.

NNPC argued that: “Employment, promotions, appointments, and movements of business leaders at the NNPC are not influenced by ethnicity, tribe, religion, or political affiliation.”

Chief Corporate Communications Officer of the NNPCL, Olufemi Soneye, stated these in a statement issued on Saturday in response to the article, “Tinubu’s Buharisation of the NNPC” authored by Prof. Farooq Kperogi.

According to him, decisions within the NNPCL “are guided strictly by merit, business requirements, and expertise.”

Kperogi had in his article criticised what he called “Tinubu’s relentless Yorubacentric take-over of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC)” alleging that “Yoruba people now occupy major positions at the NNPC and that a certain (person) is ‘being proposed as GMD after Mele Kyari’s term expires early next year.”

But Soneye in a statement said Kperogi’s article was full of misconceptions about the operations and leadership structure of the company.

He explained that NNPCL focused on efficient and effective service delivery, anchored on the commitment of a qualified work team.

He also clarified that President Tinubu did not interfere in the operations or leadership movements within the NNPC.

“On the contrary, his administration has introduced transformative policies that have added immense value to the oil and gas sector and the broader Nigerian economy.

“President Tinubu’s approach has been to empower institutions like the NNPC to operate independently while fostering a conducive environment for growth and innovation. His reforms have set a benchmark that has significantly improved the sector, surpassing the achievements of many of his predecessors,” he said.

The NNPC spokesman emphasised that the company is a professional organisation with a diverse leadership lineup that includes individuals from various parts of the world, not just Nigeria.

“The presence of qualified foreigners in the employ of the NNPC, who have been bolstering the value chain of production and distribution of allied products, is verifiable.

“It is, thus, sad that a professor of Mr Kperogi’s standing would resort to and play up the issue of ethnic identities in the configuration of the work team in NNPC just to demonise President Tinubu,” he said.

He stated that under the leadership of Mele Kyari, the NNPCL has achieved remarkable milestones and recorded several “firsts” in the industry.

“These milestones were not defined, coloured or contoured by primordial fault-lines of tribe and religion. They were inspired by the collective drive for excellence. These milestones include groundbreaking advancements in exploration, production, and global partnerships that were previously thought unattainable. This success is a testament to the company’s focus on competence and professionalism rather than on parochialism as insinuated in the editorial offerings by Mr. Kperogi,” he said.

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