Niger Delta group backs NNPC restructuring

By NOSA ERESOYEN, Asaba

THE Niger Delta Indigenous Movement for Radical Change (NDIMRC) has applauded the Minister of State for Petroleum and Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mr. Ibe Kachukwu for the unbundling of the corporation into 30 companies.

The oil monitoring group also condemned the strike action by oil workers over the unbundling of the corporation which has been called off.

In a press statement signed by its President, Nelly Emma, Secretary, John Sailor and Public Relations Office (PRO) Stanley Mukoro, the group hailed Mr. Kachukwu over the unbundling of NNPC.

While saying that the minister had done the right thing, the group urged Nigerian senators and members of the House of Representatives to support the unbundling of the corporation and give the minister the necessary backing.

According to the group; “The unbundling of the NNPC will go a long way in eliminating bureaucracy in the operations of the corporation and as it is now, each of the constituent units in the restructuring will be profit driven”.

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“We are also in full support of the conversion of the Group Executive Directors (GEDs) by minister to Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) and their redeployment to the various business components”, the group aid.

“All moves made in the past to reposition the NNPC for profitability were thwarted by the former GEDs. They never helped the corporation as they connived with oil majors to create artificial fuel scarcity in the country. They also sponsored strikes by oil workers,” the claimed.

Calling on Nigerian lawmakers to throw their weight behind the unbundling of the NNPC by Mr. Kachukwu, the group said: “We should all give our support to the minister. Our senators and members of the House of Representatives should give legislative backing to Mr. Kachukwu over the restructuring of the NNPC because that is the way to go”.

According to the group also, “There should be no fear of job loss among the staff of the corporation and so oil workers should not allow themselves to be used by some elements, especially the former GEDs to go on strike over the restructuring being carried out by the minister”.

“The minister is not ready to sack any worker as a result of the unbundling and so, the strike by the oil workers in uncalled for. The former GED for Explorations and Production who in the past announced himself as the GMD of the NNPC and other GEDs are behind the strike action because they do not want to leave their positions. But they must be moved as we are in a new dawn to reposition the corporation”.