Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation(NNPC),Malam Mele Kyari, has urged staff of the corporation to work hard to sustain the profitability trend.
His call was sequel to the recent N287billion profit by the corporation which has continued to draw commendation from Nigerians.
At a town hall meeting held at the NNPC Towers, Abuja, Kyari told the staff that Nigerians will no longer condone losses from the corporation, stressing that the corporation would continue to imbibe the best practices.
With the passage of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) which mandated it to run under the Company and Allied Matters Act (CAMA), he said, things cannot be the same with the corporation again.
He said:“We cannot continue in the old path if we are not to run the risk of going under. We can do better. We have to do better because no one will take losses from us again”.
He disclosed the principles that propelled the Corporation from loss into profitability to include cost control, transparency, accountability and ethical conduct and urged staff to continue to uphold and abide by them.
He implored staff to shun every conduct that could prove inimical to the progress of the Corporation by either reporting such directly to him or deploying any of the whistle-blowing platforms that have been activated by the Corporation.
He spoke on the Petroleum Industry Act, and maintained that NNPC businesses must comply with the regulations as would be provided by the two regulatory agencies established by law to regulate both the upstream and downstream sectors of the industry.
He promised to remain committed to the people strategy of the corporation by promoting the welfare of staff, adding that the cooperation of the two in-house unions, the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) and the Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) were instrumental to the progress made by the Corporation.
Besides, civil society organisations, applauded NNPC’s transparency strides and ₦287billion profit in its 2020 audited financial statement.
At the Budgit Oil and Gas Industry Stakeholders’ Forum in Abuja, the Chief Executive Officer of Budgit, Gabriel Okeowo, noted that NNPC had become more responsive and open than in the past thereby enabling a more cordial relationship between the Corporation and the civil society.
He implored the management of NNPC to sustain the new approach.
Country Director, Oxfam, Tijani Hamza, in his presentation said NNPC in the last two years had been transparent and open, adding that the corporation has made a mark in the global transparency arena through the implementation of the Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative’s (EITI) inclusive framework.
Speaking the Technical Director of the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) Dr Dieter Bassi, said the declaration of profit by the NNPC in a year the global economy was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic was a remarkable feat.
Responding to questions on the operations of the Corporation, Kyari, who was represented by the Group General Manager, Corporate Planning & Strategy, Mrs Oritsemeyiwa Eyesan, said the positive performance recorded was as a result of a new business strategy adopted by the NNPC to mitigate the impact of the pandemic.
He affirmed the commitment of the Corporation to transparency and accountability, stressing that NNPC was open to questions on any aspect of its operation.
In the week under review, the NNPC also donated 500 Seater Lecture Theatre to the University of Maiduguri (UNIMAID). The Vice-Chancellor of the University Prof. Aliyu Shugaba commended NNPC for its contribution to the development of the Nigerian education system through its corporate social responsibility programme.
Shugaba, who gave the commendation during the inauguration of the theatre, expressed satisfaction with the quality of the job and the intervention of the corporation to the infrastructure needs of Nigerian universities.
Speaking at the ceremony, the GMD represented by the Manager, Community Impact investment, Mrs Doris Ohia restated the commitment of the corporation to the development of education and nation-building.
On Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) the NNPC Advance Leadership Programme Class 099 has donated to Mararaba Gurku community in Nasarawa State with the rehabilitation and donation of equipment to the Primary Healthcare Centre in the community.
Speaking at the inauguration and handing over of the project, the Manager, Leadership Development of the Talent Management Department, Mrs Nkechi Anaedobe, stated that the Corporate Social Responsibility project was a practical display of the leadership principles taught to members of the class, stressing that one cannot be a leader without thinking of others.
The President of the Class, Mr Ahoemwen Aigbangbee, explained that the choice of the project was informed by the need to complement the government’s efforts in providing healthcare facilities and services in Nigeria.
On his part, the Chairman of the CSR committee of the class, Mr Adams Agbo, explained that the choice of the location of the project was informed by the huge population of Nigerians who reside in the community, adding that the project was targeted at impacting as many people as possible in keeping with Corporation’s slogan: “We touch your lives in many positive ways”.
Receiving the donated items, the officer in charge of the Health Centre, Mrs Dorcas Haruna, said the centre would be able to admit eight patients at a time, adding that they would put the power generating set and other equipment to good use. She also thanked the class and the NNPC for this generous gesture.
Speaking on the significance of the gesture, Deputy Director, Health, Karu Local Government Area, Mr Yusuf Asibat, stated that the Primary Healthcare Centre, would lead to less congestion at the main hospitals thereby making healthcare available to all.
The intervention of the NNPC ALP Class 099 in the health centre includes the painting of the exterior of the Centre, installation of interlocking tiles, donation of a 7.5KVA generator, two delivery beds, three observation beds, sampling bottles for laboratories, eight complete sets of hospital beds which include mattresses, side lockers and drip stands.
