Pulse.ng : June 2024

By Sani Idris

A group under the auspices ofNineteen Seventeen Northern Consensus Movement For Peace Unity Empowerment and Development Initiative

(NSNCM), has lauded the Group Managing Director (GMD) of NNPCL Mele Kyari for his transformational drive in spearheading the affairs of the corporation.

Comrade Awwal Abdullahi Aliyu, National President of the Group, made the commendation while reeling out Kyari's achievements, at a press conference on Sunday in Kaduna.

Newsmen reports that the group, NSNCM, is an amalgamation of 596 registered affiliated grassroots Northern Association from Nineteen Northern States and associations of Northerners Resident in the Seventeen Southern States and FCT.

Comrade Awwal recalled that President Muhammad Buhari appointed Mele Kyari as the GMD of NNPC in July 2019, succeeding Maikanti Baru upon his retirement.

"Since assuming the role, Kyari has implemented numerous reforms aimed at enhancing the efficiency and transparency of the corporation.

"One of Kyari’s major initiatives is the TAPE agenda, which focuses on transparency, accountability, performance, and excellence,"he said.

He explained that the agenda seeks to eradicate corruption, bribery, and racketeering within NNPC, thereby transforming it into a reputable oil giant.

Comrade Awwal added that Kyari has also set ambitious goals for the corporation, including raising crude oil production to 3 million barrels per day and increasing reserves to 40 billion barrels by 2023.

"His efforts have already led to significant achievements, such as resolving a longstanding dispute in the Akuku Toru community of Rivers State, which restored 35,000 barrels of oil production per day.

"Under his leadership, the NNPC successfully reached the Final Investment Decision (FID) on Train 7 of the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Limited (NLNG) in November 2019, a project expected to generate over $20 billion in revenue and create over 50,000 jobs. Additionally, Kyari oversaw the commencement of the Ajaokuta-Abuja-Kaduna-Kano (AKK) gas pipeline project, with funding secured from a Chinese bank.

"Kyari has also driven the digitization of NNPC’s operations, reducing human-related operational risks. For instance, the corporation launched software that enables marketers to view inventories across 22 depots in real-time, improving decision-making and efficiency.

*In terms of recruitment, Kyari organized a transparent and fair exercise, leading to the employment of 1,050 candidates out of 600,000 applicants. This marked the first publicly advertised recruitment exercise by NNPC since 2012.

"During the COVID-19 pandemic, Kyari mobilized stakeholders in the oil and gas sector to raise N21 billion for the Petroleum Industry Intervention Fund, supporting medical interventions across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones.

"These efforts underscore Kyari’s commitment to transforming NNPC into a more efficient, transparent, and commercially viable entity.

"The creation of the National Assembly has significantly empowered NNPC Limited to ensure Nigeria's energy security, a critical aspect of national security. This responsibility is particularly crucial during the year-end festivities and beyond, with the NNPC Limited making robust plans to avoid any shortages in petroleum product supplies.

"The enactment of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021 by the National Assembly has transformed the NNPC into a commercially-oriented National Oil Company governed by the Company & Allied Matters Act (CAMA). This legislative effort has turned NNPC from a loss-making entity, with a loss of N803 billion in 2018, to a profitable organization, declaring a net profit of N674 billion in 2021,"he said.

Speaking further comrade Awwal said the leadership of Mele Kyari played a pivotal role in the turnaround, reducing losses dramatically in 2019 and achieving profitability by 2020.

"The company is now aiming for a profit increase of N2 trillion in its 2022 Audited Financial Statements.

"NNPC Limited's acquisition of OVH Energy in 2022 and its existing assets have positioned it as a major player in the African energy market. This move has significantly boosted the profitability of its subsidiary, NNPC Retail, to N18.4 billion in the first quarter of this year.

"Addressing challenges like crude oil theft and pipeline vandalism, NNPC has adopted advanced surveillance methods similar to those used by Saudi Aramco. The Central Coordination, Data Integration, and Activation Control Room enable real-time monitoring of the Niger Delta's pipeline networks, enhancing security and increasing crude oil production. This system has already recovered over 22 million litres of stolen crude through improved surveillance and intelligence.

"The NNPC Limited has strengthened Nigeria's energy security and improved the profitability and efficiency of its oil and gas sector.

"The so-called 401 ethnic Nationalities Leaders sponsored by enemies of Nigerians Economic transformation and general development who also are suspected boys of Bunkers and their agents calling for the sack of economic transformer, non-tribalistic, nationalistic, uncorruptible (Mal. Male Kyari), they are calling for his sack because he has blocked all their possible ways and means for them to continue the cannibalization of the Nigeria oil sector.

"Sighting the above transformational and developmental drive of the oil sector by Mal. Mele Kyari, through robust revenue generation, redirection and scientific upliftment of the Nigeria oil sector, is making this enemies of Nigeria Economic boom to have sleepless night,".

Therefore, Awwal requested that the transformational government of President Bola Ahmad Tinubu to get the people arrested for undermining National Economic development and trying to create bad blood and disharmony between the North, other Nationality and the Government.

"It is cleared that Mal. Mele Kyari is one of the best things that have ever happened to NNPC Ltd. It will therefore, be suicidal to nurse any negative attempt to unseat him at this crucial time that he is already transforming the corporation, unless if the nation is not truely after the economic transformation and revitalization of NNPC Ltd and Nigeria, or someone somewhere is nursing an Anti-North agenda which we strongly believe is not President Bola Ahmad Tinubu, having known how much the North rally around him with the massive vote and looking towards 2027 for his re-election..considering the President, Economic, Security and Infrastructural developmental drive,"he said.