…‘Nobody wants your job’ – Northern Youths fire back
A fresh storm has erupted around the leadership of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), as its Group Chief Executive Officer, Engr. Bayo Ojulari, yesterday alleged that powerful interests are plotting to unseat him over the reforms he has initiated in the oil and gas sector.
Ojulari, who disclosed this while receiving a delegation of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, (PENGASSAN), said his life and that of some management staff were under threat because of his determination to revive the country’s moribund refineries.
He revealed that the company is adopting an NLNG-style model to return the plants to full capacity, in line with President Bola Tinubu’s mandate to reposition the industry.
“I’m not hiding from anybody. I’m not a politician. I will have to learn a bit more about politics, but for me this is a development plan, and I’m ready to learn”, Ojulari declared.
However, his remarks immediately drew sharp rebuttal from the Northern Youth Council of Nigeria (NYCN), which dismissed his claims as diversionary.
In an issued statement yesterday, signed by its National President, Isah Abubakar, the group insisted that nobody was after Ojulari’s job, urging him to instead address what it described as “mounting corruption allegations” and a record of poor leadership since his appointment five months ago.
“It has been from one controversy to another since Bayo took over. If he had truly merited the job and was performing excellently, he would not be worried about plots to remove him. The refineries he claimed to be reviving were already in good working condition before he deliberately shut them down to reinitiate another so-called rehabilitation”, the group stated.
The NYCN further accused Ojulari of running a one-man show, ignoring staff input, and undermining transparency and accountability within the NNPCL. The group questioned his qualifications for the top job, warning that he was sabotaging President Tinubu’s “Renewed Hope” agenda.
“He should either rise to the responsibility entrusted in him or step aside for a more competent hand”, the statement noted, while urging Ojulari to focus on stabilising the NNPCL in line with the government’s energy agenda.
