The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has commenced the massive redeployment of managers especially in its upstream industry exploration and production subsidiary, the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company Limited (NPDC).
Sources close to the corporation told Newsmen on Monday about 15 managers from the NPDC have been affected in the redeployments.
Although the management is discrete about the exercise, the source, who requested not to be named, said the exercise is in line with a pledge by the new Group Managing Director (GMD), Mele Kyari, to reposition the NNPC.
Mr Kyari confirmed the development in a brief telephone interview with PREMIUM TIMES on Tuesday.
“It is official, the reform I promised has taken off,” Mr Kyari told our reporter. “The redeployments at NPDC is (are) the quick fix I have to do immediately to restore the integrity of the system.
“The bottom line is that NPDC is going down and I am determined to take it up. Some people have converted it into a bazaar for contract seekers. I am committed to stop it and breathe a new life into the system to help us attain our national aspirations.”
Our source earlier said the “fumigation exercise” is likely to extend to all the subsidiaries, strategic business and corporate services units across the country.
“The cleansing exercise is ongoing,” the source said. “It has just begun. It will continue and will get to the lower cadres of the corporation.”
“The essence of the strategic reform is to enhance operational efficiency so that the NPDC will be meeting its obligations. The new management at the NNPC wants to inject new blood into the system and reinvigorate a new spirit among the staff to deliver on their mandates.”
Journalists were unable to obtain the names of the affected managers at the time of this report, but the NNPC is expected to make a formal announcement on the matter soon.
Our source said the latest redeployments will help “bring fresh ideas and enthusiasm to drive the process of cleaning up the system and block leakages towards improved revenue base in line with the vision of our new GMD.”