Ismail Mudashir
7 July 2009
Kaduna — Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mr. Mohammed Sanusi Barkindo at the weekend said the ongoing reform in the oil and gas sector of the country would transform the NNPC from being a cost centre to a fully commercial and profit driven company that will be fully capitalized.
Speaking during the graduation ceremony of the participants of Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company (KRPC) Youth Empowerment and skills acquisition programme, he said the company is at starting point of a strategic journey.
According to him, the new national oil company will not only be able to raise funds for its operations from both the domestic and international markets, but more significantly, it will enter partnership with private sector in all its strategic business units through significantly equity holdings.
The GMD who was represented by Engineer Mogeed Agoro, the immediate past Managing Director of KRPC, said his vision in the transformed NNPC is to be the premier Nigerian Integrated Oil and Gas Company operating at world class levels to create high value opportunities for Nigeria and Nigerians.
He said attacks of militants of the Niger Delta have affected the operations of the company tremendously but that the company is very well positioned to weather storm.
Barkindo said the 7th Turn Around Maintenance (TAM) of the KRPC has been concluded and that the plant has been re-streamed. " Also rehabilitation of some products pipelines is ongoing. It is our hope that the execution of the above projects will return the nation to an era of sustainable products availability,".
In his address, the Managing Director of the KRPC, Engineer Bolanle Ayodele said the project is part of the company's social responsibility agenda which emphasized youth's empowerment through skills acquisition, job creation and self-reliance. He said the company spent 30 million in training of the 100 beneficiaries of the programme.
He said the company intends to build vocational training centre for its host community as part of efforts to reduce youth unemployment in the country.
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Is Mr. Excisionist suggesting that we should rather have a President-cum-Oil-Minister as it was under Obasanjo administration? This is a country of tribalists; they see nothing wrong about their people but the rest of the people are always wrong. Our brothers from the south are still deluding themselves about being the most educated people in the country. Mind you, you are dealing with a different generation of Nigerians now. I am from Benue State (North) and do not think every southern state is more educated than Benue. Tell me, Obasanjo ruled Nigeria at the time the country was richer than at anypoint in time, yet we ended up ghost contracts all over the place, yet Mr.Excisionist had nothing to say about that. Obasanjo single-handedly run the Oil industry for 8 years and closed down all refineries in the country in favor of shipping crude oil to be refined by his personal refineries that are scattered in around the world, yet Mr. Excisionist again had no comment about that. Now he is attacking Mr. Yar-Adua because he is a northerner. Eventhough, Yar-Adua has not looted Nigerian treasury to build personal Universities, Farms, and companies. He has not used Nigerian money to organize high-profile welding celemonies for his daughters in UK and USA. He has not sold Nigeria Airways or any Nigerian parastatals to himself for $1. These are just a few of the many criminal financial dealings of former President Obasanjo that became open secrets even before he left office, and we heard nothing from Mr. Excisionist about any of these things. Mr. Excisionist must be living in a different world to find Mr. Yar-Adua guilty of any crimes.
History has shown that quota directors and federal character experts are experts in running things down and not in making them profitable. NNPC and other establishments have been flooded with them since Ya'Ardua assumed office. Their loot and share feudalist culture is well known. The Central bank is a good example. Within weeks of the new Central Bank Governor taking over we have gone from $50 Billion surplus to $3.6 indebtedness.
How long will this be tolerated by the rest??? Greetings from Copenhagen
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