Ararume: Groundswell of Criticisms, Thumbs-down Trail Reinstatement of Nominated NNPCL’s Non-exco Chairman
- The Federal Government has been urged to appeal and challenge court's reinstatement of the non-executive chairman of the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL)
- The call was made the Nigerian government by some experts in the industry on Thursday, April 20
- According to the experts, the president may have good reasons for withdrawing his nomination of the non-executive chairman of the company
A groundswell of criticisms and thumbs-down has continued to trail the judicial pronouncement which sacked Senator Margery Chuba Okadigbo and reinstated Senato0r Ifeanyi Ararume as non-Executive Chairman of the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL).
A cross-section of Nigerians who spoke with newsmen on the development articulated views with many condemning the Federal High Court, Abuja’s judgment.
Source: Facebook
A retired manager in one of the oil companies, who did not want to be identified gave a review of the order and urged the Federal Government to appeal the judgment.
He recalled that Ararume was nominated but not inaugurated as a non-Executive Chairman.
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He said:
"If the President in his wisdom went back and nullified the nomination of Ararume and nominated somebody else that is not actionable.
"The president may have good reasons for withdrawing his nomination. I think Ararume’s matter or journey ended at the nomination stage, it’s not a nomination that was screened and confirmed by the Nigerian Senate.
"It does not warrant going to court because the president has powers to nominate, appoint after confirmation by Senate and even remove."
Also towing the same line, an industry expert, Ayomide Omotosho, said it is an incontrovertible fact the president has the executive powers to nominate, appoint and possibly remove or cancel such nomination without recourse to the appointee under the 1999 Constitution for ease of doing business and smooth running of such a public liability company like NNPC Ltd.
Omotosho submission read:
"That is part of the powers of the Executive President under the Constitution, and this does not warrant anyone whose nomination is cancelled to go to court over this.
"There is a wider implication of this for the country and the newly incorporated company – NNPC Ltd in the eyes of the world, particularly in the international oil industry in the light of the signing of the Petroleum Industry Bill into law by President Buhari in 2022.
"How will it be perceived by international investors and partners now that NNPCL has gone fully commercial and needs a lot of foreign and local investments."
The US-trained expert in the field said, for instance, if the U.S. President nominates someone, it will go through the Senate and can only be appointed if confirmed after the screening.
"So on what grounds did Ararume go to court to challenge the President’s action and ask that he should be reinstated and all his entitlements restored? This is not too good for the nation’s nascent or fledging and liberalized oil industry.
"We should not forget that the PIA of 2021 is one of the bold steps and audacious move to overhaul the country’s petroleum sector which now seeks to provide a regulatory platform, corporate governance, and legal and appropriate fiscal framework for the industry.
"The gains should be consolidated by all means to gain the confidence of the international community and not to rubbish such gains through frivolous and selfish interests,’’ he also said.
For a one-time union leader in the nation’s oil and gas sector, the judgment can be anything but distasteful and in bad faith.
His words:
"Is it everybody that the President nominates that pass through the Senate that were at the end of the day approved? If somebody was rejected by the Senate, will he or she now go to court to question his or her rejection?
"What Ararume has done by going to court and obtaining judgment in his favour is giving Nigeria a bad image and also sending a wrong signal to the international community because NNPC is now a commercially-driven company.
"Now for him to have gone court will now show or give an impression of instability in the oil sector and send wrong messages to our international partners and those who want to work with us."
A media analyst, Mr Abu Abdullahi, also criticized in strong terms Ararume’s action and the court judgment, saying it is in bad taste and self-serving and not in the overall national interest.
He declared:
"It is in bad taste and a wrong move at that. It should be condemned in totality. Equally, the judgment should be denounced by lovers of this country and our `fragile’ oil industry.
"It could deter some partners from putting their money in the oil sector; the implications of what Ararume has done and the judgment are inimical to the economy of the country.’’
"I believe the government should go on appeal and challenge the judgment. Ararume did not show respect and gratitude to the President for considering him in the first place to be nominated for the job."
“It’s null, void”: Buhari to pay N5bn to Ifeanyi Ararume as court overturns his removal as NNPC chairman
The Federal High Court in Abuja has nullified the removal of Ifeanyi Ararume as NNPC Non-Executive Chairman by President Muhammadu Buhari.
The Court stated that the sacking was illegal and unconstitutional and demanded that Ararume be paid N5bn in damages.
The court also ordered the reinstatement of Ararume as the NNPC Non-Executive Chairman.
NNPC, NMDPRA speak on staff recruitment exercise reports, warn Nigerians
Meanwhile, in another report, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation has said reports that it is recruiting are fake and should be ignored by Nigerians.
The national oil company revealed that announcement of any recruitment would be made through the proper channels.
Similarly, the NMDPRA has also issued a warning to Nigerians that there is no ongoing recruitment, as reported.
Source: Legit.ng
