NNPCL: SO FAR, SO GOOD -OJULARI & A RENEWED HOPE (1) By Femi Oniyide

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_”I attended the inauguration of President Akufo-Ado. When I exited my vehicle and my arrival was publicly announced, there was a loud round of applause. Again, I thought of my father and those words: ‘Leave when the ovation is loudest !’ Suddenly, I understood those words in a way I never had before._ “_*- Former President of Ghana, John Mahama.*

If perchance President Tinubu had studied as a stage director for thespians, one would have easily concluded that the easing out of Mallam Mele Kyari and the entire board of NNPCL on the 2nd of April, 2025, is one of the most successful scripts to be directed in a brilliant career of drama directorship. Why ? The leading actors of the NNPCL went off the stage at a time when the ovation for them by the people was loudest !

Mallam Mele Kyari came into the saddle as the Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPCL in 2019. It was a period when the economy of Nigeria was terribly bogged down with the payment and fundings for fuel subsidy by the NNPCL.

It was a trying period when none of the three oil refineries in Nigeria was functioning. The refineries had become thoroughly moribund and completely ineffective. In short, they were no more refining even a drop of oil.

NNPCL and other major oil marketers at this point in time, engaged in the importation of fuel for local consumption in a Country that is the highest producer of crude oil in Nigeria.

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Fuel subsidy was then the table of corruption from where all our fat cats fed from and left the masses in abject penury.

The exchange rate was then at the mercy of forex speculators who fed fat from the swindle going on.

Then came the tsunami against fuel subsidy when President Bola Tinubu in one swift, delicate move of an experienced fencer, decapitated the head of the monstrous money gulping fuel subsidy.

Nigeria became free ! NNPCL became free. Mallam Mele Kyari and his team became free !

It was never easy for them managing a daily local fuel consumption of about 45 million litres at a subsidy far below the actual market price at which they imported fuel into the Country. That was a tedious task of gargantuan proportion. They had been dealing with a hydra headed monster that could have consumed and completely disrupted our fragile economy as a Country.

Very swiftly, after the removal of fuel subsidy, the Kyari team went to work and things started taking a new turn at NNPCL.

The Falcon superbly understood the Falconer and a melodious symphony sweet to the ears floated from NNPCL. The anarchy of yesteryears opened up to a melodious sound of order and transparency.

Consecutively for three years running, the NNPCL released it’s audited financial statements to the public, thereby opening up to transparency in the way the company does its job.

The management of NNPCL was so full of foresight that they invested around $1 Billion Dollars in Dangote Refinery, even before it berthed. Only someone endowed with the vision of Nostradamus could envision such a move !
Today, the Dangote Refinery is a success story.

In 2024 alone, the NNPCL reported $17 Billion Dollars in new investments. That’s no doubt a huge one.

In the same 2024, Nigerians with their eyes saw the lame walk ! A miracle happened in that two out of of our Country’s oil refineries that had virtually gone under for decades was resuscitated !

In quick succession, a part of the Port Harcourt refinery and the Warri refinery started refining, once again, petrol, diesel, kerosene, jet fuel et al. Kyari and his team thereby performed one of the greatest feats in Nigeria in 2024. Getting two marks out of three is definitely a distinction.

When the NNPCL/DRL imbroglio started in 2024 after the private refinery became operative, the Mele Kyari team, under the suave guiding hands of Mr President berthed an amicable solution that gave Nigerians some succour over high fuel pump price.

What could have crippled the new refinery got ironed out and DRL is today operating in leaps and bounds with the refinery attaining maximum production level.

The reasoning now is; where will the Country have been if Mr President had acted swiftly as he came to power on May 2023 and dismantled the whole of the hierarchy of NNPCL as some hawks in government had been goading the President to act ?

But, instead of acting in the rowdiness and drowsiness of that moment, Mr President left Kyari and his team to lift the NNPCL and the Country out of our oily mess of yesteryears that the Country was grappling and crawling in.

The patience of Mr President eventually paid off.

The NNPCL became more decent and receptive to the Nigerian public as it meandered different storms to give itself a better image.

It’s information dissemination became super and professional in outlook, giving Nigerians detailed analysis of its operations whenever demanded.

The public had a better perspective of NNPCL activities and the aforementioned cold war of NNPCL/DRL was properly and effectively managed.

The manner the public affairs department of the NNPCL handled the image of the company was to say the least, extraordinarily superb and professional.

They completely shunned the image most of our government agencies are known for; garrulous, spiteful and odiously insulting any critic that dare call on them to do their duties. Instead, the department at NNPCL was forthright, explaining to Nigerians the nitty gritty of the workings of a conglomerate like the NNPCL.

The period I glaringly and most lovingly admired the ruggedness of this department was when people went to town, spreading unfathomable lies that the Port Harcourt refinery was not working.

The high fallutin propaganda that was ensnared round the success story of the refinery was consumingly nauseating, yet, the public affairs department of the NNPCL did a beautiful job of excellently maneuvering the conglomerate out of this evil forest.

It is a job that seemed most unthankful, yet some roses were brought to the party that deodorised the odious atmosphere until Nigerians became assured that not only was that part of the Port Harcourt refinery working but that another lame duck walked at the reopening of the Warri refinery.

To the warriors at the public affairs department of the NNPCL, I dare to say- Well done !

Now, at a period when NNPCL had outgrown its former self of archaic corporate responsibility, at a time when Nigerians were clapping for the resuscitation of two out of our three refineries, the stage director drew the curtain for a close of the Mele Kyari era at the NNPCL.

Femi Oniyide Esq