Sylvester Idowu in Warri
A Niger Delta Oil Monitoring body, South-South Reawakening Group (SSRG) has commended President Muhammadu Buhari over the appointment of Mr. Mele Kolo Kyari, as the Managing Director of Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) describing it as “putting the round peg in a round hole.”
The group, in a statement signed by its Convener, Mr. Joseph Ambakederimo, noted that the appointment of Kyari was well thought out by the president, saying it would bring about transparency in the nation’s oil company.
“As President Buhari begins his second tenure in office we make bold to say that the future looks good and it is becoming glaring that he has opened the floodgate of appointments with professionals and incorruptible persons to occupy key positions of critical institutions that are core to the economic mainstay of the nation.
“This is manifest in the appointed Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mr. Mele Kolo Kyari.
“We want to applaud the President for his foresight in picking Mr Mele Kyari whom we would describe as a “round peg in a round hole,” he said.
The SSRG, however, urged the new GMD to live up to the expectations of Nigerians and the president for giving him the opportunity to showcase the skills that he brought to bear in the transformation of the crude oil marketing department noting that, “his output in the crude oil marketing department was extraordinary.”
“He brought an age long experience to bear and turn around the crude oil marketing division. The crude oil marketing division was made possible by Mr Mele kyari who embraced modern technology and transparency.
“We believe the same strategy would be employed to reposition the NNPC and it’s subsidiaries to the path of profit making like it’s counterparts in other countries,” it added.
The group charged the new GMD to urgently look into the issues of subsidy on petroleum products which have not been properly managed with a cloud of many unanswered questions as well as the unmitigated adulteration of petroleum products and fuel fraud that have cost government humongous loss of revenue.
“The NNPC must devise ways to frustrate the activities of fraudsters. The GMD must ensure to apply the most up-to-date technology for the protection of its supply chain and, therefore, it’s fuel quality and integrity. This way there will be a level of assurance that Nigerians are buying a product they can trust.
“We therefore urge Mr Mele to recognise that his appointment is coming at a critical time in the volatile global oil industry and the Nigerian economy in particular including bringing of some level of openness in the Operations of the NNPC.
“The NNPC’s Operations have largely remain opaque for a very long time, but with the coming of Mr Mele Kyari, we hope to see an appreciable level of transparency in the operations of the NNPC henceforth,” it added.
