North Set To Take Over NNPC

Barely 48 hours after President Muhammadu Buhari dissolved the board of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), intense lobby has begun to fill the positions of the Group Managing Director (GMD) and those of Executive Directors, Daily Sun has learnt. Eight new structures are being proposed for the corporation and it is already awaiting the approval of the President. It was further gathered that there was likely to be further sweeping changes at NNPC, a development, Daily Sun further learnt, may lead to the sack of other Managing Directors and General Managers. As part of measures aimed at ensuring a smooth take-off of the proposed new structures, some highly placed northerners from the core northern states are already strategizing to fill existing vacancies, while other “qualified” officers from the North-Central, South-West, South-East and South-South geo-political zones, would be “pushed to obscure departments and positions.” So far, Daily Sun further gathered, three names from the North-West and North-East zones are believed to have been penciled down for consideration and possible approval for the position of Group Managing Director (GMD) of the NNPC. The three persons are: Malam Isa Inuwa from Kano State, Dr. M. K. Baru, Bauchi and Alhaji Sa’adi Farouk, Sokoto State. Dr. Baru is a former Group General Manager of NAPIMS, a subsidiary of the NNPC, while Malam Inuwa, whose background is in Accounting, is the Deputy Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) just as Alhaji Farouk, had served as Group Executive director (GED) Exploration Production of the NNPC. A source said some powerful forces from the North close to the Presidency that include a governor of one of the North-Western states, is said to be leading the trio of Malam Sarki Abba, Adamu Adamu and AVM Muktar in lobbying Aso Rock Villa to approve the new structure and appointment of one of the three nominees. But other contenders, who though are not from the North are: Oando’s Mofe Boyo, Chief Pius Akinyelu, a former Executive Director at Mobil, Boyo Ibirogba, Mr Udom Inoyo, a former Director at Mobil and former Minister of Works, Christopher Aigbovbiosa Ogiemwonyi, who was GED at the NNPC and the current GED Gas, Mr. Ige. A document obtained by Daily Sun showed that the positions to be headed by Northerners are: Group Executive Director, Capital, NLNG, NGC, NIDAS; MD NETCO; MD NNPC Shipping; MD Retail and MD Pension. Efforts to get the comments of Mr. Ohi Alegbe, GM Corporate Affairs, NNPC proved abortive. When he was called, he sent and SMS saying he was in a meeting. An SMS sent to him demanding his response was not replied.