Call For Probe: GMD you’re on Track, Stay focused

By Gideon Osaka

Most times, reacting to faceless authors of mischievous publications is undeserving, but for the need to disabuse the minds of unsuspecting elements, reacting to such dangerous trends becomes manifest.

Only recently some faceless unprofessional agents of destabilization came out of their shell in the name of a group calling for the probe of the Group Managing Director of the NNPC, Mallam Mele Kolo Kyari. Unknown to the group, it has succeeded in uncovering itself as agents of certain unpatriotic elements, from whom they (so-called group) may have benefitted previously, from some shady deals that do not exist under Mallam Kyari.

Having failed in trying to gatecrash into the present regime for recognition, to continue with the old and ugly game, they opted for character assassination of the calibre of the incumbent GMD, Mallam Mele Kyari, calling for a ‘phantom’ probe. Probe only becomes feasible where hanky-panky thrives.

It sounds laughable and amounts to insipid childishness calling for a probe of leadership that has no semblance with past leaderships that were characterized by micro achievement and macro controversy and anarchy.

For the current regime of Mallam Mele Kyari as GMD which took off only in July last year, about nine (9) months ago, so far characterized by lots of appreciable positive changes, premised on a motivating slogan – TAPE (Transparency, Accountability and Performance Excellence), and religiously embraced by every aspects of the corporation’s workforce, only the ingrates and dunderheads could be on the opposite side perpetuating evil.

Infact, under Mallam Kyari’s supervision one of the fairest recruitment exercises of about 1000 graduate trainees, was successfully concluded. It may interest this faceless myopic group to know that even his (Kyari) son, who was eminently qualified was deliberately delisted on the instruction of the GMD just to satisfy his inner conscience against any nepotic tendencies. Unlike in the past when such exercises were always shrouded in secrecy. A lot of the successful candidates who happen to be sons and daughters of ‘nobodies’ made the list and resultantly poured encomiums on the GMD.

How can you call for a probe of a gentleman who under few months of his appointment presided over a historic signing ceremony of the Final Investment Decision (FID) of the NLNG Train7, a gigantic project that has the potential of changing the fortune of this country and was unnecessarily delayed for almost 10 years.

The FID allows the expansion to increase the capacity of NLNG’s six-train plant from 22 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) to 30 mtpa, an increase of about 35 per cent.

How could any sane human being call for a probe of a technocrat who under less than one year of stewardship unveiled new brands of NNPC-produced engine oil in grades, which was launched into the markets with funfair. The introduction of these varieties of engine oil into the market was borne out of the vision of Mallam Mele Kyari to make NNPC more profitable in its operations in order to be self sustainable.

Only recently NNPC under the able leadership of Mallam Mele Kyari rallied round companies operating in Up, Mid and Down streams of the petroleum industry to contribute the whooping sum of N21billion for Coronavirus intervention in Nigeria. NNPC also donated some equipment to UniAbuja apart from a building the corporation renovated and donated to serve as isolation centre for the COVID-19 patients.

Malam Mele Kyari is not a kind of person that can be blackmailed with threat of probe. Long before he became the GMD of NNPC, he was an anti-corruption crusader whose passion for transparency, and due process earned him special recognition and accolades by his colleagues and some agencies saddled with the responsibility of fighting graft in the country.

It was his passion for transparency that prompted the corporation’s recent decision to peacefully terminate and exit subsidy or under-recovery expenditure that for so many years has been denying the country funds for development in critical sector such as infrastructure provision. Previous attempts by the past administration to remove petroleum subsidy hit brick wall and resistance by the citizens. Interestingly, Kyari’s pronouncement that henceforth, market forces shall be the determinant of petrol price in the future was well accepted by the nation.

Mallam Mele Kyari never hides his disappointment on the condition of the nation’s four Refinaries. He is fully determined to revamp the Refineries before the expiration of President Muhammadu Buhari’s tenure. His plan is not only to get the Refineries back on track, far from that. His strategy is to revamp and transfer (not sale) the Refineries to companies with track record and capability to operate and maintain the facilities through a transparent partnership arrangement that will accrue maximum benefits to the nation.

Part of achievements recorded by Mallam Mele Kyari in the short period of his stewardship was the introduction of Operation White, a taskforce form to checkmate the smuggling and hoarding of petroleum products in the country. It would be recalled that prior to the formation of Operation White, the country was made to believe that Nigeria consumes 60million litres of PMS every day. But with the advent of Operation White, that figure reduced drastically, saving government a lot of cost that is spent on subsidising millions of litres that end up in the neigboring countries.

It is also worthy to note that despite the Federal Government’s lockdown directives and quarantine curfew in some states of the nation following the outbreak of Coronavirus, adequate supply of fuel in all the states of the federation and the FCT is being witnessed.

One will wonder why with all these enumerated achievements above some rented miscreants whose paymasters are no longer allowed to take the advantage of system as did in the old order, will shamelessly call for a probe of a leadership that is only nine month in office.

This action amounts to a ‘Pull Him Down’ syndrome orchestrated by enemies of progress whose major aim is to distract the GMD from performing the good works he is doing.