NNPC reform: All PPMC depot managers recalled to Abuja

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Area Managers of all petroleum products depots across the country have been recalled to the headquarters by the Pipelines and Products Marketing Company (PPMC) management.

PPMC is the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC subsidiary in charge of marketing and distribution of petroleum products in the country.

In their stead, Chief Officers considered lower in rank to the recalled managers in the hierarchy of the national oil company have since been directed to take over the depots.

NNPC’s Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Department, Ohi Alegbe, confirmed the directive to the Area Managers, pointing out that it was part of the on-going reorganisation process in NNPC.

“Yes, the Area Managers were asked to return,” Mr. Alegbe said. “There is nothing unusual about it other than that is part of the on-going process by the management to unbundle the NNPC and its subsidiaries and make the organisation function better.”

The new directive by the NNPC is seen as an attempt by the new administration to downgrade the position, which has hitherto been headed by personnel of deputy managers’ status.

In August, the newly appointed Group Managing Director of the NNPC, Ibe Kachikwu, had sacked the top management team of the corporation and cut down the operational directorates from eight to four to save cost.

The decision, which also saw the heads of all the Corporation’s subsidiaries fired, had affected the Managing Director of PPMC, Haruna Momoh, along with over 35 other senior management staff, who were either sacked or compulsorily retired.

Mr, Kachikwu, who hinted that the exercise was continuous, explained that it was in line government’s aspiration to transform the NNPC into a lean, efficient, business-focused, transparent and accountable national oil company in keeping with international best practices.

He said the reorganisation was part of the NNPC’s three-pronged approach towards the reforms, involving downsizing of the workforce, reworking of the business strategy and restructuring to bring about efficiency and check redundancy.

With the completion of the restructuring of the top hierarchy of the Corporation, Mr. Alegbe said redeployment of the Area managers was part of the next line of action, which also affected the country’s three refineries in Kaduna, Warri and Port Harcourt.

Although the recalled officials are said to be awaiting redeployment and posting at the headquarters, a source close to PPMC said most of their affected colleagues were contemplating resigning their appointments.
The source pleaded that his name should not revealed, as he was authorised to speak on the issue.

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