Damilola Oyedele in Abuja
The pan-Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) which is the umbrella body for leaders and traditional rulers in the South-south region, has said the marginalisation of oil producing areas for appointments into agencies and parastatals in the country’s oil sector, threatens the quest for peace in the region.
The forum accused President Muhammadu Buhari of not being fair to the South-south, particularly at a time when there are ongoing discussions to restore peace and normalcy in the Niger Delta, and to pacify militants.
Addressing journalists on behalf of the forum yesterday, the Convener of PANDEF, Chief Edwin Clark lamented that 36 of the positions at the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) are occupied by Northerners, while only 19 are occupied by Southerners.
This is in spite of the fact that the North is not an oil producing region, Clark noted and listed the names of the appointees, their designations, and zones, and challenged the NNPC to make available any other list that adequately distributes the positions to all the zones.
He disregarded claims by the NNPC that all zones of the country are equitably represented in all cadres of its appointments, and positions.
Clark further stated that the South East, which is an oil producing zone, does not have a representation on the board of the NNPC, and added that six of the core appointments at the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) are occupied by northerners, with five from the South-west, one each from the South-east and South-south.
“Is this fair to a people who bear the brunt of oil exploration,†he queried.
“Top management positions in other subsidiaries such as the Petroleum Product Marketing Company (PPMC), Petroleum Trust Development Fund (PTDF), Petroleum Equalisation Fund, and the Department of Petroleum Resources, one of the Departments in the Ministry of Petroleum, are also majorly held by Northerners,†the group said.
The group expressed gladness that some Nigerians from the North have made comments on the injustice by the president, particularly a former Minister of National Planning, Prof. Abubakar Suleiman, who it quoted as saying the outcry of the South-south and South-east is justified.
PANDEF quoted Suleiman as saying: “The NNPC is a parastatal within the Ministry of Petroleum and as you know, oil has for a long time remained the mainstay of Nigeria’s economy. This is something we draw from the South-south and South-eastern part of Nigeria and for you to make managerial appointments without involving those who own this resource, I think it is greatly unfair. I think their outcry is justified. This attitude of the government of the day to want to marginalise certain parts of the country, especially the oil rich areas, is something that is worrisome…We are talking about restoring peace in the Niger Delta.
“At a time when we are trying to restore normalcy and pacify militants in the Niger Delta, you are also trying to show them that they are nobody. I think this is unfair to the South-east and the South-south. I am from the North; we have yet to begin oil production, it is only fair to give oil producing areas a fair share of their God-given resources in terms of appointments, revenue sharing, infrastructural development as well as ensuring that their voices are heard in national discourse,â€
The forum therefore called on the president, who gave the approval for the appointments to revisit them and give every zone a sense of belonging, in the interest of fairness, equity and justice.
Meanwhile the list of old and fresh NNPC appointments as produced by PANDEF read: Ladenegan Adewale Solomon, Managing Director, Kaduna Refining and Petrochemicals (South-west), Adetunji Adeyemi Managing Director, NNPC Retail/Downstream (South-west), Afolabi Surajdeen Bolanle, Group General Manager, Research and Development, (South-west),
Fagbola Ladipo, Group General Manager, LIMS/G&P (South-west), Olumide Ann Abiola, General Manager, Support Services/NPDC/Upstream (South-West), Ndukwe Samuel Omaka, Group General Manager, COO G&P Office/CHQ, (South-east), Nwakalo-Imu Thomas Kimashinor, General Manager, Planning & Admin/GMD’s Office/CHQ, (South-south) and Ewubare Roland Onoriode, Group General Manager, National Petroleum Investment Management, Upstream, (South-south).
Others are Tariah Diepiriye Morrison, Managing Director, Integrated Data
Limited, (South-south), Sejebor Dafe Stephen, Group General Manager/COO Upstream Office CHQ, (South-south), Eghobamien Victor Eriamiatoe, GMD’s Office/CHQ (South-south), Ogale Oibiokpa Ikpeme, General Manager, Support Services/Greenfield Refineries, (South-south), Kallamu Abdullahi A. Group General Manager, RED/Ventures Manager, (North), Ajiya Umar, Managing Director, NPMC/Downstream, (North), Saidu Abdulkadir, Executive Secretary, PPPRA (North), Danladi Ahmed M, Executive Director, Pipeline/NPSC/Downstream (North) and Yusuf Idris, General Manger, Planning & Business Development/Refineries & Petrochemicals, (North) .
It read further: Aminu Umar Gbobe, General Manager, International Energy Relations/GMD’s Office/CHQ (North), Jamari Salihu, General Manager, Exploration & Development/NPDC/Upstream, (North), Godabe Bashir Bello, General Manager, Gas Development/NPDC/Upstream, (North), Alkali Mohammed Abdullahi, General Manager, Audit/GRC/CHQ, (North), Tanko Umar Isa, General Manager, Upstream & JV Auditor/GRC/CHQ, (North), Bello Lawal, General Manger, Operations/NNPC Retail/Downstream, (North), Ibrahim Aminu Bagudu
General Manger, Planning & Business Development/G&P (North), Aliyu Abdulhamid, General Manager, Commercial/RED/Ventures, (North), Babajo Salisu Tijani, Executive Director, Services/NETCO/Upstream, (North), Musa Al-Amin, General Manager, Pipeline/NGPTC/G&P, (North), Yusuf Ibrahim, Executive Director, Asset Management/NGPTC, (North), Wono Felix AGM, COO Downstream Officer/CHQ, (North) and Ogoh Maxwell Domah, GM,HSE/NPDC/Upstream
Th forum also listed the latest appointments and promotions as: Fakaisi Sunday Oluwadare, General Manager, Regulatory & Governance/GRC/CHQ, (South-West), Nwachukwu, Nnamdi General Manager, Processing/NGPTC/G&P, (South-East), Emenike Chidubem Clara General Manager, JV (RED)/Ventures/CHQ, (South-east), Ariaga Azubuike Uzoma Executive Director Operations, WRPC/Refineries & Petrochemicals, (South-south), Isigwe Emeaghor Chiedozie, General Manager, Federation Account/GFAD/CHQ, (South-east), Akpasubi Affiong, Executive Director, Support Services, NNPC Retail/Downstream, (South-south), Okor Ovieghara, General Manager, Upstream/GMD’s Office, (South-south), Malami Shehu, Managing Director, Port Harcourt Refineries & Petrochemicals, (North),
Ahmadu-Katagum Aisha, Group General Manager, Shipping/Downstream, (North) and Wuti, Bala M, Group General Manager, CP&S/CHQ, (North).
Others are Abali Muhammed, Managing Director, Warri Refining &Petrochemicals, (North), Shuaibu Musa, Managing Director, Medical Services/Medical, (North), Usman Yusuf, Group General Manager/STA to GMD/CHQ, (North), Ibrahim Muhammad Birma, Group General Manager, GRC/CHQ, (North), Isa Danfillo, Group General Manager (deployed to NLNG), (North), El-Yakubu Husaini Ibrahim, Managing Director, G&PIC/G&P, (North), Abba Bukar, Executive Director, Kaduna Refining & Petrochemicals, (North), Usman Baba, General Manager, Planning & Business Development/Downstream, (North), Abdullahi Aliyu Hayatu-deen, Executive Director, Power/G&PIC/G&P, (North), Ahmed Mohammed, GM/TA, Downstream to GMD/CHQ, (North), Zango Mohammed Musa, General Manager, Business/Medical/Ventures, (North), Makeri Terhemba, General Manager, HR/NCDMB, (North), Abiri, Idris Mohammedm General Manager, Methods & Procedure/GFAD/CHQ, (North), Aliyuda Elizabeth, Executive Director, Storage/NPSC/Downstream (North), Rabiu Bello Gusau
