Four top officials of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) are to leave the organisation after management requested they tender their resignation.
In a report published in PREMIUM TIMES, Esther Nnamdi-Ogbue, Managing Director of NNPC Retail; Mamza Gwadabe, General Manager (Operations) of NNPC Retail, Ibrahim Bello, another personnel in NNPC retail and a fourth person whose identity has not yet been confirmed, have all been asked to resign from the organisation.
All four persons have been held accountable for a ‘missing petrol’ scandal involving Capital Oil & Gas Nigeria Limited. The product, over a 100 million litres of petrol valued at over N14 billion, belonging to NNPC Retail, was stored at private depots under a throughput arrangement between the corporation and private entities to build strategic national fuel reserve. The product was, however, discovered to be missing in January when the Petroleum Products Marketing Company (PPMC) needed to access the NNPC Retail’s petrol stored at the Capital Oil depot.
Mr. Henry Ikem-Obi, NNPC Chief Operating Officer of its downstream operations, said that management of Capital Oil provided neither explanation nor account of why and how the stock petrol was sold without permission from NNPC Retail.
The committee set up to investigate the scandal found that the four persons were complicit and consequently recommended their dismissal from service.
Latter reports suggest, however, that the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Ibe Kachikwu, and the management of NNPC have suggested that their dismissal be converted to retirement.
A source said that despite the calls for her resignation, Mrs. Nnamdi-Ogbue has said that she will not resign as she has not done anything to warrant leaving the organisation. It was also said that she insists that Mr. Gwadabe will not resign, vouching for his ability to carry on with his responsibilities in the organisation.
“I have also heard the rumour, but I have not been served any official letter. I know I have done nothing wrong to deserve any such action. I will continue to do my work until the person who appointed says something,” Mrs. Nnamdi-Ogbue said.