…Vows continuous redeployment of workers

By Michael Eboh

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, Sunday, vowed to undertake massive reorganization of staff of its upstream subsidiary, the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company, NPDC, accusing staff of the firm of incompetence and compromise.

Group Managing Director, Mele Kyar

In a statement in Abuja, Chief Operating Officer, Upstream, of the NNPC, Mr. Rowland Ewubare, disclosed that the corporation had to redeploy 12 management staff of the NPDC, in a bid to re-position the company to meet its production and reserve targets.

He said the reorganization became imperative following the urgent need of the current management to grow the NPDC into a big time exploration and production company.

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He added that the shake-up in the NPDC was a routine exercise that was still ongoing, stressing that other staff that were not suitable for the posts they were currently occupying would be redeployed for national interest.

He said, “Upon assumption of office, an evaluation of personnel was carried out which indicated incompetence and compromise on the part of some staff which necessitated the shake-up. They also failed to provide efficient leadership for some of the assets needed to reposition the company.

“I must put on record that the changes would continue until we get the right optimal managerial talents for the management of those critical assets.”

Ewubare stated that for the NPDC to measure up to its peers, it needed a team of professionals that were fit-for-purpose and could deliver on project timelines and budgets.

He explained that with the presidential mandate, it was appropriate to have a team of professionals who understood the urgency of the mission, dismissing any insinuation that trailed the exercise.

“The redeployment that just took place in NPDC is a signal to all members of staff that it is no longer business as usual. We are determined, as a management, to meet the four cardinal points of Transparency, Accountability with Performance Excellence (TAPE).

“Therefore, the redeployment has nothing to do with ethnicity, religion, or any sectional interest. The current NNPC management reflects all the six geo-political zones,” Ewubare stated.

The NNPC upstream boss maintained that NPDC, as the exploration and production arm of the corporation, was strategic to the achievement of the target to grow the nation’s reserves and production to 40 billion and three million barrels per day by 2023.

He added that that with the President’s clear mandate the management was prepared to rejig personnel to meet the target.

In a related development, Group Managing Director of the NNPC, Mallam Mele Kyari disclosed that significant progress has been made in the ongoing exploration of inland basins, adding that the target of growing the nation’s reserve to 40 billion barrels by 2023 was realistic and achievable.

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Kyari, who stated that this when he received the leadership of the Nigerian Association of Petroleum Explorationist, NAPE, in Abuja, disclosed that the NNPC was revving up exploration activities in all the frontier basins to achieve the three million barrels per day crude oil production target within the shortest possible time.

He said the NNPC would invest more efforts and resources in the search for hydrocarbons in the frontier basins and the ultra-deep water basin in the Niger Delta in order to grow the nation’s reserve base.

“We promise that we are going to be transparent and accountable to all our stakeholders. We will drive this company to become a company of global excellence through excellent performance. This is very possible and there are strong indications that this is achievable,” Kyari asserted.

He stated that the corporation would galvanize its partners in the direction of attaining national goals and aspirations for the economic wellbeing of the nation and its citizens.

Vanguard