…Calls on Critics to Join Hands
A group under the auspices of Nigeria Oil & Gas Progress Report has condemned the media attack on the NNPC management led by Malam Mele Kyari, saying it was the handiwork of oil thieves and their collaborators.
A statement signed by the group’s National Coordinator, Tirmizi Imam on Monday said the NNPC media attackers have “deliberately turned their eyes away from the successes recorded by the Kyari-led management, in a desperate move to divert public attention”.
The group recalled that the Kyari-led management was the first NNPC leadership to demonstrate transparency by letting Nigerians know how much the oil giant is making in terms of profit and how much is being spent each month in the media.
” Secondly, the Kyari-led NNPCLTD management launched a relentless war against unpatriotic elements operating illegal Refineries and giving full statistics of those uncovered, at regular intervals. Beyond policing the refineries, the NNPC management was repeatedly forthcoming with prompt solutions to artificial fuel scarcity, usually blamed on independent marketers”, Tirmizi noted in the statement.
The group said the efforts by Kyari-led management to revamp Nigeria’s four refineries, ahead of planned export of refined crude oil, next year – 2024 will “magically boost the nation’s economy in a big way, in addition to the massive training and retraining of management and staff of the company”.
The statement also noted that the NNPC management has been able to conduct regular staff structure overhauls to “pave the way for more professionalism and result-oriented services for the good of this country”.
Recalling that the Kyari-led management has demonstrated enough commitment to turning around the fortunes of the oil giant, the group called on critics to be patriotic enough to join hands in the ongoing reforms of the oil and gas sector in Nigeria.
“We are not saying it is wrong to criticise leaders, but we are only in support of constructive criticism. We are not for criticisms meant to distract public officials from doing what is right; or being decidedly partisan on a matter of national economic development and stability”, Tirmizi pointed out in the statement.