There is
palpable anxiety at the topmost rung of management of the new
commercially-driven national energy company, the Nigerian National Petroleum
Company Limited (NNPCL), as the nation’s anti-graft agency, the Economic and
Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has launched an investigation into the
alleged payment of multi-billion gratuities to former directors of the defunct
Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and those who transited from the
old corporation to the new company.
An online newspaper, SaharaReporters, had on April 12, 2023 published an exclusive report about fresh crisis in the NNPCL in the aftermath of the decision by the Chief Executive Officer, Mele Kyari and Chief Financial Officer, Umar Ajiya, to pay themselves billion of naira as gratuities for their services in the defunct NNPC.
It quoted a
source to have said: “Isn’t this corruption? Our Group Chief Executive Officer,
Mele Kyari, and the Chief Financial Officer, Umar Ajiya, paid themselves
gratuities running into billions of naira while still in active service,
which is against the public service rules.”
THE CONCLAVE
reports that what was not clear as of the time SaharaReporters broke the story
was whether the gratuities were paid before the old NNPC wound down or they
were paid after the transition of the duo to the NNPCL from the coffers of the
new national energy company.
The report
had prompted the NNPCL to issue a statement penultimate week clarifying that
both Kyari and Ajiya positions and services as Group Managing Director and
Group Executive Director (Finance and Accounts) of the old NNPC respectively
had ended with the winding down of the old NNPC and that their positions in
the NNPCL as CEO and CFO respectively were new appointments that came into
effect on September 16, 2021, and tenured for five years.
Just as the
report by SaharaReports was silent on the amount paid as gratuities, the NNPCL
statement, issued by the Chief Communications Officer of the company, Garbadeen
Mohammed, also was silent on the figures.
Whereas the
issue of gratuities and the exact amounts received have remained the Elephant
in the room as no specific figure has been indicated as the amount paid.
This is the
puzzle that the EFCC wants to untangle through its investigation.
From feelers
emanating from the Commission’s Headquarters in Jabi, Abuja, the NNPCL Chief
Executive Officer, Mele Kyari, had been formally notified of the Commission’s
investigation activities around the payment of gratuities to officers of
director’s level and above.
THE CONCLAVE
learnt that the Commission’s Director of Operations, Abdulkarim Chukkol, had
requested Mele Kyari to release the Chief Officer (Human Capital) and the Chief
Financial Officer for an interview on Wednesday, April 26, 2023.
They will
interact with the Commission’s head of Foreign Exchange Malpractices Section on
a wide range of issues connected with the alleged payment of gratuities.
The
newspaper further learnt that the Commission had requested that the duo should
come for the interview with Certified True Copies of entitlements and
retirement benefits of directors and above; evidence of payments of gratuities
to the Group Managing Director, Director Accounts or any other director of the
company.
They are
also expected to arm themselves with details of accounts where such payments
were made, if any; and any other relevant information that could assist the
investigation.
This is the
first time that the anti-graft agency would beam its searchlight on the
activities of the NNPCL and take necessary steps to follow it through.
The
unprecedented investigation, according to feelers on Tuesday, may have signaled
the beginning of business unusual with the news NNPCL being subjected to a
baptism of fire.
Recall that
the old NNPC had only been subjected to invitations by the National Assembly in
pursuit of its oversight function and the old NNPC had ensured that it
frustrated the legislative action in defence of its opaque business operations
and financial transactions.
It was
learnt that the incoming President, Senator Bola Tinubu, is going to ensure
that the NNPCL is not run the way the old NNPC was run.
He is said
to have a template for ensuring commercial viability of the NNPCL and also to
ensure that the operations of the behemoth company are transparently run in the
interest of Nigerians and the nation.
Credit; THE CONCLAVE
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