NNPC: NUPENG to Kachikwu, allegations political

The Petroleum Tanker Drivers’ branch of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas, (NUPENG) has described the ongoing supremacy battle between the Minister of State for Petroleum, Ibe Kachikwu and the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, (NNPC) Dr Maikanti Baru, as deeply political, therefore calling for caution.

Kachikwu in a letter addressed to President Muhammadu Buhari dated August 30, 2017, which was leaked to the press accused Dr Baru of excluding him and the Board of the NNPC in the management of the strategic corporation.

The Minister of State for Petroleum who incidentally is the chairman of the NNPC Board accused Dr Baru of deliberate violation of due process in the award of contracts in the Corporation.

In a statement signed on Friday released to pressmen, National chairman of the union, Comrade Salmon Oladiti in his reaction warned against unnecessary politicization and promotion of certain entrenched interests in the oil industry, both in the upstream and downstream sectors to the detriment of the nation.

Oladiti declared that individuals not comfortable with certain monumental achievements of the NNPC GMD have been working to create confusion in the industry to ensure that Baru was removed from office.

Specifically, Oladiti mentioned the ongoing resuscitation of the NNPC depots across the country by Baru, which he noted were dismissed as obsolete by previous management of the corporation before Dr. Baru assumed office.

The NUPENG chairman further pointed that private individuals who are not comfortable with the ongoing refurbishment of the NNPC depots and were starting to buy the national assets and ultimately turn them to private depots were behind the orchestrated plot to paint the GMD, NNPC in bad light in the eyes of President Buhari.

“Our stand is that, we are in support of what the GMD, Dr Baru has been doing especially in the downstream sector. What he is doing is in the interest of Nigeria and our union and the larger downstream sector as a whole.

“Before he came on board, there were moves to privatize all the depots into private hands; Petroleum marketers and other stakeholders, we were told that the depots were decrepit and could no longer function.

Their mission was to privatize all the depots in the country into private hands. Those administering the corporation before him were empowering their cronies in the private depots. Since the emergence of Dr. Baru as GMD, NNPC, he said all these depots are national assets and must be made to work.

“Nigerians can all see that he has started bringing them to life; yesterday, (Wednesday) he was in Ibadan depot and the depot is alive now. He started from Ejigbo depot in Lagos. That depot and the one in Aba have started loading. Mosimi depot in Ogun state is also loading.

“As we speak, Kano is loading and Baru will soon re-commission Ilorin depot. He has said that before the end of the year, he will make sure that he makes Ore and Enugu depots functional.

“Millions of Nigerians are praying for him. All these depots were in comatose but the GMD is bringing them back to life and somebody is complaining that he is not being carried along.

“Now, our members can lift petroleum products with ease at depots owned by NNPC in their respective states without coming long distance to Lagos to experience the trauma of traffic congestion and harassment by security agents and area boys;

the branch of NUPENG under my leadership is in support of the Dr. Baru and his team at the NNPC”, he said.

Oladiti advised President Buhari to ignore the wailings of those pursuing private interest under the guise of national interest expressing concern that the relief being enjoyed by his members who have to travel long distance across the country to load petroleum products at private depots in Lagos were about to be aborted by those he called anti-Baru elements in the strategic but volatile industry.