LAGOS, Nigeria – Workers of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited don issue warning to Bayo Ojulari, di new Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC, say make e no use external people for top management positions. Di staff, who dey part of di NNPC Group Executive Council for National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN), don threaten say if Ojulari no follow dem advice, dem go shut down operations.
Di warning come as de union leaders send letter to NNPC Chief Human Resource Officer, wey dem acknowledge on di same day. Di letter titled ‘Filling of Top Management Positions in NNPC Limited With Externally Recruited Personnel is Unacceptable to PENGASSAN & NUPENG GEC’ carry serious concern about di trend of appointing people from outside di company for top positions.
Di letter, wey dem sign together includes PENGASSAN GEC Secretary, Amaoge Chukwudi; NUPENG Secretary, Paulosa O. Paulosa; PENGASSAN GEC Chairman, Solomon Orieji; and NUPENG Chairman, Baba Kaumi, begin with warm congratulations to Ojulari and di board wey President Bola Tinubu appoint last week after sacking di former GCEO, Mele Kyari and im team.
Dem write, “We wish dem success in their new roles. But we get big concern wey we wan bring to your notice to prevent bad consequences. We don see say whenever new GCEO dey appointed from outside, dem dey quick to fill top management positions with external recruitment instead of promoting within.”
Di union leaders stress say NNPC get plenty qualified professionals wey dey ready to take higher responsibility before dem retire. “We get thousands of experienced and competent Nigerians wey don dedicate years of their life to di company. If dem no fit move up because of external recruitment, na injustice and waste be dat, and it go disturb di company progress and performance,” dem talk.
Dem describe di move to appoint external people as unjust, saying it fit cause problem for staff career growth and may lead to industrial unrest. Di union leaders don talk, “We dey caution against any action wey go undermine di career growth of our members. If una no heed dis warning, we no go guarantee industrial harmony at NNPC Limited.”
Di letter go further to state, “Dis letter dey serve notice to di management say PENGASSAN and NUPENG reject any senior recruitment or appointment from outside di organization, especially for positions wey dey SS6 and above cadre. If any attempt happen, we go resist am strongly, including total shutdown of operations.”
In di recent communication, di unions don demand say make dem reverse di external appointments immediately or else dem go face severe industrial unrest. “We dey show solidarity with our members as we see no record say hiring from outside don bring positive impact for di company,” dem add.
Di workers also draw comparison to di time when Dr. Kachikwu lead di company for 2015, when he sack di entire management team and bring in external people. Dem claim say di action no improve di company bottom line but rather hinder di growth of career employees. Di workers call on di new management to focus on promoting capable staff wey don serve di company well and dey eager to grow.”
Di letter wey don copy Ministers of State for Petroleum Resources, di NNPC Board Chairman, di Chief Human Resource Officer, and other key stakeholders, serves as an alert to di entire management about di potential backlash if dem fail to follow di demands of di workers.
