Why Mele Kyari Is On The Cross

Amid calls from critics against the efficiencies of Mele Kolo Kyari as the chief executive of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPCL, a different narrative from Kabir Usman emerges.

In the cause of making the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) a better place with excellent performance and global image, the initiator of the transformation process and Chief Executive Officer of the organization, Malam Mele Kolo Kyari has been receiving unwarranted attacks. The reward of such good work is negative social media accusations and allegations rather than commendation.

Nigeria is a great country with great Nigerians with full capacity, capability and competence.

Kyari had brought in new ways of addressing the organization’s many challenges through his TAPE Agenda, which some stakeholders and other industry watchers are finding it difficult to key into.

Constructive criticism is good for the development of any organization, especially when done without ulterior motives. However, as criticisms kept pouring on Mele Kyari over his effort to revitalize NNPCL, an organization that had over time, went off the mark, serving individual’s instead of country’s interests.

Let’s look at the NNPCL’s growth and understand why the GCEO, Mele Kyari has been on the cross.
For several years since its establishment, the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), now Nigeria National PetroleumCompany Limited (NNPCL), had unenviable records of dismal performance and poor image overhang.

So many factors have been adjudged to be responsible for these unenviable records that kept holding back the organization’s growth which the GCEO set out to address.

The organization’s grim picture and the sad narration has apparently remained with it for over four decades and the development has made it to become a lame-duck organization more like a “graveyard” than an efficient organ in the global oil industry.

NNPC had been run with no hope and prospects in the future. Kyari has stepped in with a vision he boldly anchored on the principle of Transparency, Accountability, Performance and Excellence (TAPE).

But the appointment of Mele Kolo Kyari came with a big relief. The new Czar started the energy transformation and made strong wave in transforming the ailing organization, making it to live up to a global standard.
Kyari has changed the narration and NNPC’s clout is now showing up in new ways and the organization is enjoying a new lease of life with tremendous goodwill in the global industry.
An allegation coming from the proprietor of the nation’s private Refinery, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, that Nigerians are operating an illegal refinery in Malta, along with a wave of criticisms within the ranks of some lawmakers, calling for his resignation or outright sack by the President has further underlined lack of understanding of Kyari’s transformational drive.

Kyari is a transformation-minded leader with strong power of management and efficient leadership traits. He has the talent and ideas that are mostly focused on revamping the moribund company, making NNPCL currently to be enjoying an unprecedented robust transformation.

As Group CEO, Malam Mele Kolo Kyari is behind the success story of the robust transformation of the organization and the signing into law of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), which opened doors for the private investors to venture into the field and equally led to the transmission of NNPC into a limited liability company.

With a high level of integrity, as his most valuable assets, he has impacted positively in transforming NNPC, making it to work efficiently for the country.
The integrity and leadership style of this gentleman has entirely changed the narratives and promoted diligence, transparency and honesty in the management of the organization.

He successfully turned around the defunct NNPC to a value driven NNPCL with high prospect in the global sector. He has put in his best in turning around the organization that was initially written off as moribund and a burden on the country, hence changing its status from a rejected stone to a cornerstone.

Whilst Kyari is busy writing his name with a gold ink and working hard to leave behind a lasting legacy for posterity, regrettably there were avalanche of criticisms and persistent unwarranted attacks by some armchair critics who kept calling for his removal as chief executive.

What are the offences of this gentleman and an administrator per excellence?
A cursory look into the persistent calls were merely to tarnish his reputation and destroy his good works.

His offence was that, he has set the process of a successful transformation of NNPCL and is leading the organization with a clear vision and purpose.
He had set a template for its effective productivity, while focusing on high-impact activities that will move the organization closer to the goal of its establishment and equally avoiding cutting corners and making compromises in attaining its goals.

The level of damage done to the Company prior to his emergence as Group CEO, was so colossal, hence the need to introduce TAPE Agenda as his blueprint to rejig the organization for better performance and avoid slipping back into its dark history.

To get things done rightly is apparently his main offence before the armchair and self appointed critics. For the fact that he has streamlined processes of productions, reduced costs of delivery and diversified the energy sources while reducing environmental impact through good governance and accountability, is making him to attract so much flack.

It is on record that since its establishment over forty years ago, NNPCL was comatose, until the emergence of Malam Mele Kolo Kyari who initiated pragmatic and strategic leadership that introduces new measures which are now leading the ailing organization into a robust, highly productive and a huge revenue source for the country.

As an outstanding personality, a humble and visionary leader, who has zero tolerance for indiscipline, corruption and lawlessness, Kyari sleeps and wakes up with performance indices and the principles of working for his country.

For him, success is a journey, not a destination. It starts with transparency, accountability and performance excellence – TAPE, as he walked the talk of his agenda in revamping the ailing organization.

But how and why did the NNPC get itself into this pitiable position and continue to fumble in the dark over the years? Available facts have shown that, the Company got it wrong and began to go under with very little impact, because it was regrettably being run in secrecy.  

Some elements whose apparent objective was to feed fat on its resources, rather than drive the organisation to greater heights, were strongly behind the unenviable record. The reason for NNPC’s establishment was jettisoned to the background and the organization was successfully turned into a cash cow by selfish officials and their cronies, as well as some stakeholders who fed fat in the process.

But now, the new chief executive had saved NNPCL from further slide. He promised to wield the big stick and he did it successfully, a development that’s attracting unwarranted attacks from vested interests.

Nigeria’s oil sector has over the years been riddled with numerous challenges. The country lost so much revenues to the tune of $4 billion to oil theft at the rate of 200,000 barrels per day in 2021. The country also lost billions of dollars in 2022 to pipeline vandalism which escalated to an unprecedented level.

Also, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC), has recently disclosed that the country lost over $1 billion directly to oil theft between January, March and September, 2022 while the main organ was losing 470,000 barrels of crude oil monthly amounting to $700 million to oil theft.

But in the midst of all these challenges, the NNPC Limited has something it could boast of – having the right leadership.
Mele Kyari, as the right leader has kept faith through effective stewardship that is purposeful and accountable.

Experts have attested to the fact that within his first three years in office as the GCEO, he has rejigged NNPC and reinvigorated hope of a better oil sector in the country.

The regulatory hurdles, pipeline vandalism, oil theft, and security challenges in the Niger Delta region were adequately addressed thereby enhancing operational efficiency with a better revenue generation drive.

He equally restored stakeholder trust as a result of transparency and accountability and exemplified tenacity in holding unto high standards in the midst of national and global challenges in the oil and gas sector.

He set out to apply the principles of accountability in all ramifications, giving NNPCL a new lease of life with a proper direction that’s capable of meeting global standard practices in order for the company to compete with others in the industry at world stage.
NNPCL under Kyari is obviously a success story. The company is now flourishing as a profitable and a source of stable revenue for the nation. Kyari is resolutely leading it with diligence and transparency and with relentless determination and resourcefulness.

He had also repositioned the organization, by doing whatever it takes to achieve the goal of making it robust and productive, in line with the goal of its establishment.

For the first time in the history of the organization, NNPCL under Kyari has opened its books. It has equally recorded profit with a glowing way of good management. As the Chief Executive Officer, Malam Mele Kolo Kyari is known for his transparency, uprightness, dedication and patriotism. He has set a standard of transparency in the oil and gas sector and has remained so in the field.

As a man of honour and a stickler of honesty, transparency and integrity, the last thing Kyari would ever allow or encourage, is illegality to occur under his watch. He has said it as he debunked the allegation that officials are behind an illegal refinery operation in Malta.

For the benefit of hindsight, Kyari, has been at the forefront to remedy the Company’s deficiencies and make the desired impact visible. A person invariably NNPCL needs to achieve that greatness.

Experts who appreciate Kyari’s commitment to transparency, said it was under his leadership, NNPC’s first audited financial statements was made public in 2020.

He is leading with a purpose and has built trust and credibility.

The depth of decadence at NNPC is simply beyond imagination. Kyari has brought efficient transformation with a new thinking, a new awakening and a new direction. Yet his voice is still in the wilderness.

What most of his critics failed to understand was that no amount of criticism would take him aback or make him to shift away from the path of honour. He has a vision of high standards to achieve and would do nothing to compromise.  
Kyari will undoubtedly leave a legacy of better NNPCL with efficient infrastructure and reduced barriers to production. Certainly he has never and will never promote illegal refineries nationally or further afield. It is good to focus on success and achievements rather than envy and jealousy. Let us unite as a common force for the best interest of the country we dearly love and move it to greater hight using our foresight, insight, hindsight and far-sightedness.

Kabir Kabo Usman Former Director General Chief Executive Centre for Management Lagos
BSc, MSc, PhD, Cert Ed, PGCE, FAB, FNIP, FNIMN, FCIPM, FCIA, Leadership at Harvard USA, Victoria University Melbourne Australia and Manchester Business School UK
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