The Managing Director of the Nigerian Petroleum Development Company, Yusuf Matashi, has been sacked and replaced with Usman Yusuf, the former Senior Technical Assistant to the Group Managing Director.
Matashi’s sack is part of the NNPC’s recent reorganizational reshuffling, which has seen over 50 top management staff of the state-owned oil firm and its subsidiaries removed.
More Details: The Nigerian Gas Marketing Company, another subsidiary of the NNPC, was also affected in the reshuffling. According to a source who is close to the situation;
“some persons were promoted and others were removed. The reorganisation affected 50 senior management staff members in all. The managing director of npdc, yusuf matashi, was removed and he was replaced by yusuf usman, the senior technical assistant to the GMD.”
The Shocker: Furthermore, the source disclosed that about 49 staff members were affected by the reshuffling. However, the replacement of the NPDC boss came as a shocker to everyone.
Displeasure over the Development: Another source also revealed that many staff members of the corporation are pleased over the latest development. According to the source, there are unpleasant talks going around among the employees.
A lot of persons at the Liquified Natural Gas arm of the corporation in the corporate headquarters were also affected by the reshuffling. Some employees of the Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company were also affected.
Grumblings over the appointment: The source also noted that there might exist an imbalance in the reorganisation of the corporation. Many have argued that the appointments are one-sided and did not reflect fairness to the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria. In other words, a greater percentage of appointees are from the same region.
Meanwhile, the NNPC’s Group General Manager declined to make any comment when contacted on the matter.
This is not the first time that the NNPC is being shaken up. In 2017, the Corporation witnessed a major shake-up which affected 55 top executives of the oil firm. The GMD, Maikanti Baru, had disclosed back then that the appointments would not only help position the NNPC for the challenges ahead, but also help fill the gaps created by the statutory retirement of some officers.