Tension in NNPC over postings, fresh recruitment

There is tension in the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) over the retirement and deployment of 30 officials, which was approved by the Group Managing Director, Dr. Maikanti Baru.

There were fears that the corporation was losing good hands to mediocrity and subservience.

It was also alleged that  the ongoing recruitment, if it follows a similar pattern, may be a cosmetic exercise calculated to ingratiate particular interests.

But NNPC said there was no cause for alarm because  the shake-up and retirement were normal and followed due process.

The presidency has been called upon to reverse the postings to give a sense of belonging to all parts of the country.

A three-page document sighted by our correspondent, with a covering note and two attachments, each page signed at both ends of the paper with a red pen by Baru, details the postings of 19 top officials to new offices.

There have been concerns about the abrogation of due process and disregard for extant regulations in the administration of the NNPC, promotions, postings and responsibilities generating misgiving because they seem visibly skewed in favour of particular interests and tendencies.

It has been alleged, for instance, that certain individuals have rapidly ascended the positions of Manager, General Manager, Group General Manager and much more, in less than three years, most noticeably under the current dispensation in the organisation.

By the new postings, Anas Mustapha Mohammed, General Manager (Cover) Operations, West African Pipelines Company, WAPCO, becomes substantive General Manager, Operations, WAPCO; Usman Faruk, Manager, Asset Management, Nigerian Gas Management Company, NGMC, assumes office as Executive Director, Asset Management, NGMC; while Ali Mohammed Sarki, Manager Exploration, Chad Basin, is promoted General Manager, Chad Basin FES. All three postings are to take effect from May 6, 2019.

Osarolube Ezekiel, who was until recently General Manager/Technical Assistant (Refining) to the GMD, becomes Managing Director, MD, Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company, KRPC. Ihya, Aaondover Mson, Manager Rehabilitation, KRPC, takes over from Osarolube Ezekiel in the office of the GMD in the same portfolio. This swap is with effect from May 13.

Isah Abubakar Lapai, Executive Director, Services, Nigerian Petroleum Development Company Ltd, NPDC, moves over to Group General Manager, GGM, NNPC Leadership Academy; Umar Hamza Ado, Manager, Human Resources, Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company, becomes Executive Director, Services, NPDC. Garba Adamu Kaita, MD NIKORMA Transport Services Ltd, a subsidiary of NNPC, becomes GM, Human Resources and Administrative Services, Duke Oil. All three postings take effect between May 14 and May 19.

Under the new postings, Manager, Human Resources (Pension), Ossai Uche, becomes GM Support Services, Nigerian Gas Company, NGC, with effect from May 30. Usman Umar, Manager Technical Services, Renewable Energy Division, RED, moves up as Executive Director, Operations, KRPC, effective June 6, 2019; Ehizoje Ighodaro, Manager, OML 26/30 NPDC, assumes duties as GM (Upstream) and Technical Assistant, TA, to the GMD, beginning from June 14, 2019. Ahmed Mohammed Abdulkadir who functioned as GM (Downstream) and Technical Assistant to the GMD transits to Managing Director, Nigerian Gas and Marketing Company, NGMC, Gas and Power, beginning from June 16, 2019.

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Lere Isa Aliyu, Manager, Direct Sales Direct Purchase, DSDP Crude Oil Marketing Division, COMD, becomes GM/TA Downstream Office of the GMD as from June 16. Richard-Obioha Mayrose Nkemegina, Manager Power Contract and Management, becomes General Manager, New Liquefied Natural Gas, LNG Ventures of the LNG Investments Management Services, LIMS with effect from July 3, the same day Dikko Ahmed, General Manager, New LNG Ventures, LIMS, becomes General Manager, NLNG, LIMS.

Ibrahim Sarafa Ayobami, Manager Projects, National Engineering and Technical Company Ltd, NETCO, becomes Executive Director, NPDC on July 16, 2019; Usman Yusuf, Group General Manager/Senior Technical Assistant to the GMD becomes Managing Director, NPDC; Sambo Mansur Sadiq, General Manager, Crude Oil Stock Management, swaps positions with Usman Yusuf, becoming GGM/STA to the GMD. Boggu Louis Tizhe, Manager, Pricing and Valuation, Crude Oil Marketing Division, COMD, becomes General Manager, COMD. All postings take effect on July 17.

Drawing a parallel with the civil service, a top level source within the NNPC faulted the shake-up.

The top source expressed worries about why such senior level postings were “hastily” announced in the twilight of the life span of the present administration, when the government is in transition, with some of the postings scheduled to take effect a month from now, even two months from now.

The source added: “If these postings and appointments were not premeditated, why the haste in appointing people in May into positions they will not be occupying earlier than two months from now? Are they going on any special training or courses to prepare them for their new responsibilities? Aren’t we all under the over-arching umbrella of the NNPC?

“There are also concerns about the deepening of the socio-political gulf in the country, as evidenced by the recent NNPC postings.

“Please take a good look at this list of just 19 postings. Yes, it may be termed internal staff deployment. But out of the 19 movements and promotions in certain instances, 13 of them are from the North. Symbolically, there are three names from the South-South, two from the South-East and one from the South-West. What manner of posting is this? Where is federal character? Where is justice, equity and fairness? Are we all constituents of this same country? You share 19 positions and 13 are appropriated to one part of the country and you tell us all is well?”

The source said the postings might be a pointer to how the ongoing recruitment by NNPC might be skewed to favour some groups.

The source added: “Maybe we should just assume that the recent advertisements for applications into Customs, Prisons and Fire Services might as well follow the same pattern. It is becoming very clear that some animals are more equal than the others in the present political dispensation.”

He expressed the hope that The Presidency will take prompt, decisive and appropriate steps to redress the imbalances in the recent NNPC staff deployment and by extension, revisit similar developments in all state-owned institutions and organisations, to engender fairness and fairplay.

Meanwhile, the  Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) yesterday described the staff movement as “ normal replacement and backfill exercise” to bridge the gap occasioned by impending retirement of some management staff of the corporation, among others.

NNPC Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Mr. Ndu Ughamadu, in a statement in Abuja, explained that the exercise involved statutory retirement of 11 of its senior management staff as well as redeployment of 19 others.

He said such replacements were always effected before the final exit of the concerned staff.

Ughamadu said in  all 30 senior staff were affected by both the statutory retirements and redeployment.

He listed staff on statutory retirement between 1st May and 31 July to include: General Manager, Chad Basin, Aniya Francis Umaru, who is from the North-Eastern part of the country and retired on May 6th, 2019; Adewale Solomon Ladenegan, Managing Director, KRPC, who hails from the South-West and retired on May 13th, 2019 and Musa Sulyman Gimba, who is the Group General Manager, NNPC Leadership Academy, who also is from the North-East and retired on May 14th, 2019.

Others include:  Umma Ayuba Musa, who is the General Manager, HR & Admin Services, Duke Oil, from North-West and retired on May 19th, 2019;  Emmanuel–Ate Mariagoretti Ndidi, General Manager, Support Services, NGC, from the South-South who will retire on May 30th, 2019; Tsavnande Thaddeaus Atighir, Executive Director, Operations, from North-Central; Okor Ovieghara, General Manager, Upstream/TA to GMD, who hails from the South-South; Barau Mohammed Kabir, Managing Director, NGMC, who is from the North-West; Dawaki Salihi Abubakar, the General Manager NLNG, LIMS, from the North-West; Ibrahim Aminu Bagudu, the Executive Director, ETSD, NPDC, who is from the North-West and Yusuf Shimingah Matashi, the Managing Director, NPDC, who hails from the North-West retires on 17th July, 2019.

The 19 redeployed staff  are  Anas Mustapha Mohammed, Usman Faruk, Ali Muhammed Sarki, Osarolube Ezekiel, Ihya Aondoaver Mson, Isah Abubakar Lapal, Umar Hamza Ado, Garba Adamu Kaita, Ossai Uche, Usman Umar, Ehizoje Tunde Ighodaro, Ahmed Mohammed Abdulkabir and Lere Isa Aliyu.

Others are: Richard-Obioha Maryrose Nkemegina, Dikko Ahmed, Ibrahim Sarafa Ayobami, Usman Yusuf, Sambo Mansur Sadiq and Buggu Louis Tizhe.

The NNPC spokesman said it was usual for the corporation to obtain approval on replacements of retiring staff ahead of schedule.

He said this was the case with the recent exercise that takes effect as at when the retiring staff departs  at various times within the period.

Ughamadu  said  the exercise was effected to ensure uninterrupted operations of the corporation in achieving its mandate.

He said  extant corporate guidelines were strictly followed in the process.

Ughamadu   advised members of the public to disregard the insinuation that some staff of the corporation were relieved of their duties.

He said  the deployments were expected and aimed at sustaining the system.

The NNPC spokesperson urged staff of the Corporation not to be distracted with the report.