Debacle nnpcl and the proverbial “ojú la rí, ë …

The confusion that swallowed the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited [NNPCL] In the last few days it has become so unnerving that we ask how long the debacle will persist. Certainly, there must be an end of chaos that now defines the administration of the jewel of the oil crown of Nigeria.

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A Masterclass in Disappointment: Drabbing Atth’s Bpp Tantrum, by SFuyan Ojifo

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To say that the vast majority of the Nigerians is scandalized by the events -on in the NNPCL is an understatement. The developments are not only depressing, but also in decrease. There is therefore the strong urgency of hour to restore health health and decency before further damage is done.

● A GICE under siege

The leadership, in its center, concerns entering the storm, not hiding from it. Yet Bayo Bashir Ojulari, the Mercular Timpan of Nnpcl, was cloaked in silence while his legitimacy is consumed by swirling crisis. Food by the confusion of the resignation sagas, Ojulari has the mandatory duty to speak clearly and strongly of his own destiny.

It is not enough to issue a press education or distribute third parties. At a time like this, when the company still lacks a formal spokesperson after the resignation of Olufemi Soneye, the burden lies exactly on Ojilari to fill the void. Only an audiovisual address, direct and unequivocal, can begin to treat the malice that have fled into the public space.

Regardless of the efforts that does now to ensure that bleeding, a conclusion seems inevitable. His administrative legerdemain has been questioned and his leadership brand is seriously injured. A career of over three decades, starting with Elf and culminating in his mandate as CEO of Snepco, is now obscured by issues of discretion, judgment and probity.

It is instructive to note that Ojulari has been appointed executive vice president and operational director of the Renaissance Africa Energy Company, who purchased a shell resource in Nigeria, in January 2024, a position he held until his appointment as NNPCL GCIA. President Bola Tinubu must have touched Ojulari for the work for some reasons, one of which must have been his perceived ability to deliver.

Furthermore, the background of Shell of Ojulari must recommend a lot for the presidential consideration and approval. At first glance of the appointment, Tinubu believed that the observers of the sector and analysts had attracted thoroughbred technocrats to manage the NNPCL. This was validated by
of other members of the Résumés management team and the National Oil Company board of directors.

It was thought that the performance would not be a problem. Analysts in the energy sector such as Dan D. Kunle have constantly applauded the choice of the president, greeting Ojilari and his technocrats team such as men and women who could finally fill the gap between public expectations and operational realities. The hopes were high. The pressure was active.

● From the promise to profignance

Yet optimism soon began to fray. The Audit processes have not yet concluded when Ojulari’s first indiscretion attacked public sensitivity: the relaxed retirement of Kigali for members of the Top Management team of the NNPCL. According to reports, five private jets were rented at a cost of over 1 billion ₦ to transmit members to the Rendezvous. That figure was only for flights. When the costs of other logistics, tributes and “conference materials” were added, the extent of indulgence became amazed.

The exposure of this excess in a Saharareportters report has reduced the perception of prudent technocrat. The Nigerians who expected a steward emphasis instead saw a reckless extravagance, a betrayal of trust at a time when citizens make fun of themselves with increasing costs and economic tension.

While the dust on this was not yet to be established, a series of other shocking developments attacked the attention of the public. A coalition of groups of civil society brought a protest to the office of the Commission for economic and financial crimes in Abuja, asking for the arrest of Ojulari in relation to a 21 million dollar scandal related to the detention during Abdullahi Bashir Haske. According to reports, Haske confessed to the FCC that the $ 21 million, equivalent to ₦ 34.65 billion, found in his account, belonged to Ojilari.

Instead of issuing a robust counter -induer and providing a cons -narrativa, the media of the Ojulari’s media presumably made openings to online publishers to break down relationships. That was a poor crisis communication strategy, an evasion rather than a clash. He deepened the suspicion and further eroded his trust.

There were other negative problems that went around the media, which would never have had to be authorized to repeat without control. Even where harmful relationships had escaped, solid communication interventions would have been expected to treat malice. Instead, the communication architecture of the NNPCL under Ojulari was shy, shambolic and ineffective.

● The face we see

The appearances often deceive and the case of Ojulari has become a painful lesson in that truth. Many had believed that his background of Conchiglia and his comfortable financial position would inoculate him against the temptations of reckless indulgence. They assumed that with his rounded cheeks and the well -contacted frame, evidence of the past success, he would not have sold to the scandalous behavior. Alas, they were wrong.

The proverb Yoruba comes to mind: “Ojú la rí, ënìkan ò r’ínú.” Let’s see the face, but not the interior. A variant goes beyond: “Ojú la rí, òré ò dénú.” Let’s see the face, but friendship does not reach the heart. Both versions indicate a timeless reality. The curriculum can dazzle and the faces can enchant, but the character is revealed only when the needs of the leadership put the soul to the test.

What the Nigerians now see is that the real problem was not in the face, but inside – the decisions, instincts and appetites that no curriculum could have foreseen. Once the principles that once presumed to be the armor of Ojilari seem to have been compromised, leaving the company more critical of the decreased nation and drifting.

● A nation to the crossroads

The nnpcl, the goose that lays the golden eggs of Nigeria, cannot continue along this dangerous path. For reasons of public trust and economic stability, clarity and responsibility must be restored.

It is no longer a question of a man’s reputation. It concerns the integrity of the most vital institution of the nation. If Ojulari cannot restore confidence quickly and convincingly, the presidency must act with decisiveness. The delay will only prolong the pain.

Nigeria has no luxury time. The longer the drift, the greater the cost for a people already weighed down by the economic tension. In moments like this, leadership is not a matter of comfort but of duty. And the duty is urgent.

● SFuyan Ojifo, a member of the Nigerian Guild of Editors, is the publisher/editor -in -chief of the Princlave online newspaper.

To find out more:

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Theconclaveng

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