Bad Acts No Longer Happen at the NNPC, Baru Claims
Chineme Okafor
The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) yesterday stated that corrupt acts and other acts of malfeasance no longer happen in all its operations, adding that today, it is the most transparent public organisation in Nigeria.
Its Group Managing Director, Dr. Maikanti Baru, said this at a stakeholders’ workshop on validation organised by the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI).
Complaining that Nigerians still have a bad perception of the corporation, Baru, who was represented by the Group General Manager, Crude Oil Marketing Division of the NNPC, Mr. Mele Kyari, explained that efforts were currently on to disabuse the mindset of Nigerians that wrong things are happening in the corporation.
He said things had taken a turn for the better in the corporation, especially since the last two years.
According to him: “We have never had it good in this country since the last two years, in terms of transparency of our transactions, validation of our activities; the unfettered, unobstructed participation of the secretary to the government, who has never asked us to do anything different.
“Today, we need to get people out of the mindset that something wrong is happening in the NNPC. Nothing wrong is happening. We have passed that stage. We are now probably one of the most transparent companies in this country.
He further stated: “We have seen a number of governments, worked with a number of them; but probably in the two years, we have not had the opportunity to put our cards on the table as we did in the last two years.
“That makes it easy for us to align with the EITI’s objectives and opportunities that are there to do even greater things for our country. Most particularly, I’m sure our colleagues in the NGOs would recognise today, that things are just different and together all of us will make our country greater and I believe this is the core objective of the EITI. I am assuring the EITI board and all stakeholders that things are different.”