NNPC's Mele Kyari on the Spot as Groups Speak on Alleged Pipeline Contract Award to "Northern Cabal"
- Two groups have emphasised their support for Mele Kyari, the chief executive officer of the NNPCL
- This follows allegations the oil company boss awarded pipeline contracts to a specific group without transparency
- The groups have dismissed the allegations, referring to them as malicious attempts at smearing Kyari's name
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Legit.ng journalist Victor Enengedi has over a decade's experience covering Energy, MSMEs, Technology and the stock market.
The National Association of Women Journalists and the Conference of Civil Society Groups for Good Governance have reacted to the controversy that has trailed the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited and its Group Chief Executive Officer, Mallam Mele Kyari, in the past week.
The groups spoke on Sunday, October 15, 2023, during a press conference held at the Nigerian Union of Journalists Federal Capital Territory press centre in Abuja.
They unequivocally rejected the claim that Kyari had unfairly favoured a "northern cabal" in obtaining the contracts, categorising it as a baseless and unsubstantiated effort to tarnish the NNPCL boss's character and diminish his commendable contributions to the company.
Source: UGC
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Allegations aimed at smearing Kyari, NNPCL
Ladi Bala, who serves as the President of the Nigeria Association of Women Journalists, emphasised the necessity of this press briefing in light of an ongoing, unfounded campaign in certain media outlets aimed at undermining the notable accomplishments and sustained growth of NNPC Limited.
According to The Guardian, she noted that spreading highly inaccurate information and making unverified claims regarding oil pipeline rehabilitation and surveillance contracts has become the preferred tool of choice for these individuals lacking in patriotism.
She stated:
It is obvious to all well-meaning Nigerians that wolves are expending a lot of negative energies to discredit the Group Chief Executive Officer of the NNPC Limited, Mallam Mele Kyari, in order to push him out of office and have unfettered access to seize and manipulate state resources to their personal advantage.
Bala highlighted that the assertion of "covertly assigning control of Nigeria's pipelines to a Northern oil group" is not only baseless, born from the imagination of the authors and their backers, but also displays a lack of courage, prompting serious doubts.
Bidders transparently selected
Dominick Ogakwu, in his capacity as the President of the CSGGG, emphasised that the allocation of such contracts is a process beyond the sole influence of Kyari.
He further pointed out that these contracts are openly advertised, and the selection of bidders is conducted with full transparency, involving multiple layers of oversight by institutional regulatory bodies.
The groups also elaborated that NNPC Limited's foremost focus is to guarantee the safety and integrity of the oil infrastructure and maintain a functional pipeline network, all aimed at consistently meeting the nation's production objectives.
Kyari announces NNPCL 80% ready to become a public company
In related news, Legit.ng earlier reported that Kyari had announced that the company was 80% prepared for an Initial Public Offer(IPO).
Speaking at the Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and Conference (Adipec), Kyari outlined NNPCL's ambitions.
He highlighted NNPCL's transformation into a fully commercial model in 2021, underlining the company's commitment to outperform its private sector peers.
He emphasised the need for NNPCL to transition from being state-owned to a more expansive and dynamic entity.
Source: Legit.ng
