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Oil Workers Reject Recruitment of External Personnel into NNPCL Top Management

Peter Uzoho
The two major oil and gas workers’ unions – the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas workers (NUPENG) and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) – have rejected the recruitment of external personnel into the top management positions in the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), describing it as unacceptable.
NUPENG and PENGASSAN stated this in a letter dated April 4, 2025, written by their Group Executive Council (GEC) at the NNPC, and addressed to the Chief Human Resource Officer of the NNPCL.
The Presidents of PENGASSAN and NUPENG, NNPCL’s Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO), as well as the Executive Vice President, Business Services, were also copied the letter.
The letter sighted by THISDAY, was jointly signed by PENGASSAN’s GEC Secretary and Chairman, Amaoge Chukwudi and Solomon Orieji, as well as NUPENG’s GEC Secretary and Chairman, Paulosa O. Paulosa and Baba Kaumi, respectfully.
President Bola Tinubu had last Wednesday dissolved the NNPC board led by Chief Pius Akinyelure and the GCEO, Mallam Mele Kyari.
The president immediately reconstituted an 11-man board dominated by seasoned oil and gas professionals.
He appointed a former Deputy Managing Director of TotalEnergies, Mr. Musa Kida as the new board chairman and former Managing Director of Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company Limited (SNEPCo), Mr. Bayo Ojulari as the new GCEO.
Upon their resumption of duty and in continuation of the reforms and restructuring, the national oil company on Friday announced some key changes in its top management with recruitment of other seasoned industry professionals into some executive positions.
The new experienced external personnel recruited into the NNPC top management included former Chief Operating Officer of NNPC/ex-Schlumberger, Mr. Roland Ewubare as new Group Chief Operating Officer; ex-Vice Chairman of ExxonMobil, Adesua Dozie, as Company Secretary and Chief Legal Officer.
Also picked was ex-Chief Strategy Officer of Riverbrand Group, Dr Mumuni Dagazau as the new Executive Vice President (EVP), Downstream.
Many oil and gas stakeholders and analysts within and outside Nigeria have commended the president’s board selection and the later recruitment of top management personnel into NNPC, describing the appointments as the best in the history of NNPC and a mark of new dawn for the country’s petroleum sector.
But NUPENG and PENGASSAN have kicked against any recruitment or appointment of senior or management staff above the SS6 cadre (specifically with the SS5 to M2 cadre) from outside the organisation.
The letter reads in part: “We extend our warm congratulations to the newly appointed Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) and Board Members of NNPC Limited. We wish them success in their new roles and pray for excellence in their assignments.
“However, we must draw urgent attention to a matter of serious concern to avert avoidable consequences. Based on past experiences, we have observed a recurring trend whenever a new GCEO is appointed externally – the temptation to fill top management positions with external recruitment rather than promoting staff members from within NNPC Ltd.
“As a matter of caution, we must state clearly that we cannot accept, accommodate, or support the recruitment of senior and management staff from outside NNPC Limited and that any such direction be stopped.”
The oil workers argued that NNPCL is home to thousands of experienced, competent, and dedicated Nigerian professionals across various fields.
They said these individuals, who include their members, have dedicated quality years to sustaining the legacies of their company and were eager to take on higher responsibilities.
The unions posted that denying the in-house staff members of NNPC career advancement opportunities and overlooking them in favour of external recruitment was grossly unjust and wasteful, warning that that would also disrupt the company’s steady progress towards greater profitability and efficiency.
“We must therefore caution against any unjust action that undermines the career growth of deserving staff members of our company. If this warning is ignored, we cannot guarantee the continuation of industrial harmony within NNPC Limited.
“Therefore, this letter serves to put the management and the board of NNPC Limited on notice that PENGASSAN and NUPENG categorically reject any recruitment or appointment of senior or management staff above the SS6 cadre (specifically with the SS5 to M2 cadre) from outside the organisation. Any attempt to do so will be met with strong resistance, including a total shutdown of operations,” the unions added.