…May replace key personal staff
By Our Reporter
Presidency sources have disclosed to this medium that President Bola Tinubu is no longer comfortable with the steady news of him sacking the board and management of the NNPCL, when he hasn’t contemplated such.
The recent news of him bringing in Ahmadu Musa Kida who is former Managing Director of Total Oil as the board new Chairman to replace Chief Pius Akinyelure and replacing the current Group CEO, Mr Mele Kyari with the former Managing Director of Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPco), Bayo Ojulari and Roland Ewubare as Group Chief Operating Officer has really got him angry, knowing how such rumors affects the oil industry stability.
One of the sources who spoke to our correspondent said, “It is not in the character of Mr. President to treat people he has shared long-standing relationships with badly. The Board Chairman of NNPCL is his long-term ally. In fact, the president refers to him as his boss, giving their history dating from his Mobil Oil days. Besides, His Excellency is comfortable with the strides made under the leadership and guidance of Chief Akinyerule and the Board Chair of NNPCL.
“It is even laughable to read that the man Roland who resigned from NNPC back then will be COO, when there is no position like that in the new NNPCL. Roland is a very competent hand, but he has left the system. Are you aware he made a comeback at a time this government came into existence? But he was told that there was no need to change the leadership of the company since they are performing. The PIA does not have a provision for PIA, so where is such news and position coming from? These are part of the things that GCFR is not happy with”, stated a source.
The President we gathered has told everyone close to him to hands off issues about NNPCL and its management to only him, as he has just appointed the management for a new contract as stipulated in the PIA, when Kyari left as GMD of the former NNPC and was appointed GCEO of the new CAMA company by former President Muhammadu Buhari and only recently renewed.
However, we can authoritatively report that those who are known to have the ears of the President have been cashing out heavily from those who have interest in coming onboard the management of NNPCL, by promising them the appointments, which they fly all over the media as a way of showing that they have delivered.
“If the President is going to ever tamper with the board of NNPCL, it won’t be on the pages of newspapers and online but announced officially by the senior media aide”, stated one of the spokesmen to the President to our reporter.
