Presidency drops six NNPC directors
By Yakubu Lawal
AS part of reforms in the Nigerian oil and gas sector, President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua yesterday approved a major re-organisation in the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) with the retirement of the Six Group Executive Directors (GEDs).
Fresh appointments were also confirmed by President Yar'Adua to replace all the retired GEDs with immediate effect.
In the new appointments, Dr. Attahiru BabaYusuf (North-East) replaces Mr. Ibrahim Waziri (North-East) of the Corporate Services; Mr. Augustine Olusegun Oniwon (North-Central) is the new GED, Refining and Petrochemicals. He replaces Onochie Azubuike Anyaoku (South-East) while Mr. Philip Onwuzuike Chukwu (South-East), the immediate past Managing Director of National Engineering Technology Company (NETCO) becomes the new GED Exploration and Production (E&P). Chukwu replaces Mr. Chris Osai Ogemwonyi (South-South) in this division.
Other appointments are, Mallam Aminu A. Babakusa (North-West) GED Commercial and Investment. He was the Group General Manager, Crude oil Marketing. Babakusa replaces Alhaji Shehu Ladan (North-West). Also appointed is Mr. Faithful Abi Abiyesoku as GED Engineering and Technology, and Mr. Michael Abiodun Arokodare from South-West as GED Finance and Accounts. Abiyesoku replaces Olusola Williams Ayangbile (South-West) while Akorodare took over from Mr. Stanley Lawson (South-South) as GED Finance And Accounts.
A statement by the NNPC Group General Manager, Public Affairs, Dr. Levi Ajuonuma, yesterday quoted the Group Managing Director of the NNPC, Dr. Mohammed Sanusi Barkindo, as saying that the ongoing changes are in response to the enormous challenges of survival and growth of the corporation.
The re-organisation in the corporation started early this year with the retirement of its former Group Managing Director, Alhaji Abubakar Lawal Yar' Adua and the Company Secretary, Senna Anthonia.
They were replaced with Barkindo, the current GMD and Prof. Yinka Omoregbe, a former Dean Faculty of Law University of Ibadan as Secretary to the corporation.
The new development did not come to industry players as a surprise as many of the names that came up yesterday had been put before the public since February this year.
However, unlike in the past, when appointments into NNPC management cadre laid less emphasis on regional affiliations, the announcement made by the NNPC yesterday clearly indicated the geographical region where each of the new appointees comes from.
The Guardian also gathered that the exercise is ongoing and will be extended to managers at Group General Managers (GGM) and General Managers (GM) levels, where factors like bad records in service, nearness to retirement age or services, and redundancy will be yard sticks to determine who will leave the system.
Minister of Petroleum Resources, Dr. Rilwan Lukman had maintained that the oil and gas reforms would be pursued to a logical conclusion.
Already, a petroleum bill has been sent to the National Assembly with a view to amending the relevant laws that will govern the management of the oil and gas industry.
In the proposed reform policy, the NNPC will be unbundled and the activities decentralized for what the drivers of the policy called ensuring efficiency and growth of the industry.
