Mele Kyari, The Golden Goose Of NNPCL, Deserves the Accolade

By Adewole Kehinde

Since the assumption of office by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, there have been many sponsored media reports against the GCEO of Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL, with ridiculous headlines such as “Tinubu sacks Mele Kyari,” “Sack Mele Kyari Now,” “Investigate NNPC Boss,” etc.

To me, those calling for the sack and arrest of the Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, Mele Kyari, are unpatriotic Nigerians with an ill-motivated, unfortunate, self-serving, reckless, and uncharitable agenda.

This is the best time for Mele Kyari to deserve decoration for his performance within the short period he has spent at the helm of affairs in the company.

The NNPC Limited GCEO is a trailblazer and a perfect gentleman, following his wonderful performance within the short period in charge of the Company.

This is a man God sent to the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited, whose appointment and performance are second to none since the establishment of the NNPC.
His records speak for him. Prominent among these achievements are the Transparency, Accountability, and Performance Excellence (TAPE) agenda, a five-step strategic roadmap for NNPC’s attainment of efficiency and global excellence; resolving the OML Dispute; The AKK Gas Pipeline; Revamping Subsidiaries; Production Cost Reduction; the launch of the crude theft monitoring application; announcing N674.1 billion in the 2021 financial period and growing it from N287 billion in 2020. The figure represented an increase of N387 billion or 134.8% when compared to the previous N287 billion recorded in 2020; NNPC and the IOCs signed various production sharing contracts (PSCs) agreements that would ensure the production of about 10 billion barrels of crude oil and generate over $500bn revenue; NNPC Limited and Addax Petroleum Company signed an asset transfer agreement to bring an end to the dispute surrounding Oil Mining Leases 123/124 and 126/137; NNPC signed various Memoranda of Association (MoU) with many countries, including the national oil companies of Ghana, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, and Sierra Leone in furtherance of the planned Nigeria-Morocco Gas pipeline project; NNPC Limited pursuant to its vision of maintaining a leading position in the Nigerian petroleum downstream sector, acquired OVH Energy Marketing (OVHEM), owner and operator of the Oando downstream assets; the flagging off in November 2022 of the Kolmani Integrated Development Project in Bauchi State marking the commencement of effort to commercially exploit oil in the Northern part of Nigeria;
Mele Kyari also unveiled programs and policies that have enhanced transparency and efficiency in the operations of the company. These include the setting up of a new trading subsidiary, the establishment of a new crude oil marketing division, and the implementation of a new performance management system, which enhances accountability in the Nigerian oil and gas sector by publishing monthly financial and operational reports.

There is no doubt that appointing Mele Kyari to head the NNPC Limited was one of the best decisions taken by former President Buhari.

Kyari’s transparency in the NNPC Limited has been seen in the company’s payment of an interim dividend of N123 billion to the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) for June, barely two months after the federal government stopped subsidy payments.

I am not surprised at the antics of “Sack Kyari” sponsors because every genuine change for growth meets strong resistance and force, and someone must bear the brunt.

Nigerians will attest to the fact that Mele Kyari’s achievements have surpassed those of all his predecessors for the past 45 years at the NNPC.

Mallam Mele Kyari has proven to be a man of selfless service and integrity, an outstanding astute industry technocrat, and a professional par excellence.

He has distinguished himself as a visionary and professional manager with a towering repertoire of the inner workings of the industry, having served in various positions over the years.

I want to urge Mallam Mele Kyari to remain focused and avoid distractions sponsored by opposition parties, anti-democratic elements, and corrupt individuals who have fed the country by milking it with the subsidy payment scheme.

Adewole Kehinde is the publisher of Swift Reporters and can be reached via 08166240846.
kennyadewole@gmail.com