Energy

Bonny Graduates’ Forum refutes allegation against NLNG

Published

7 years ago

August 11, 2017

Olu Emmanuel

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Says Bonny indigenes occupy strategic position

By Chioma Obinagwam

Bonny Graduates’ Forum has disproved the recent allegation by the Youth Coalition for Good Governance (YCGG) that the NLNG does not have any Bonny indigene in top management positions, even though the indigenes were qualified for the positions.

Spokesperson for the organisation, Cyril Harts disclosed this in a telephone interview with National Daily.

“I don’t think that statement is true. The NLNG has Bonny Indigenes occupying strategic positions. The current Chairman of the Board of Directors is from Bonny. His name is Osobonye R. Longjohn. Even before now, we had some people from Bonny that are in top positions and have retired,” he disclosed.

More so, sources close to NLNG told National Daily that apart from having a Bonny man as the current Chairman of the board of Directors of the company, Sienne Allwell Brown, also a Bonny indigene, was the immediate past General Manager, External Relations of NLNG.

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A position, the source disclosed, was held by her until her retirement in 2013.

Further in the investigation, attempts were made by National Daily to get the reaction of NLNG regarding the matter but none was available as at the time the report was filed.

The YCGG had written several petitions to the Acting President of Nigeria, Yemi Osibanjo, the governor of Rivers State, the Group Managing Director (GMD) of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC ), the Managing Director (MD) of NLNG and the leadership of Pan-Niger Delta Forum(PANDEF) alleging that NLNG has no Bonny indigene in strategic positions.

This is coming on the heels of NLNG’s plea for the withdrawal of the of the bill, which seeks to amend the NLNG Act.

A bill(though controversial) has already passed through the lower house, the House of Representative and is currently been deliberated upon by the upper house- the Senate and if passed would subject NLNG to 3 per cent Niger Delta Development Commission(NDDC) levy.

NLNG is a joint venture incorporated in 1989 to produce LNG as well as natural gas liquids for export and is Nigeria’s first LNG project.