The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPC Ltd) on Thursday, August 22, 2024 declared that as a commercial entity, it is devoid of political interest, stressing that it shall continue to conduct its business full of commitment to national interest and value creation for the benefit of all stakeholders.
The NNPC Ltd which stated this while responding to a statement by Mr. Paul Ibe, Media Adviser to the former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, in which the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 election was quoted to have lamented “the criminal hijack of the NNPC by corporate cabals around the current President,” stressed that it shall resist any attempt to draw its Board and Management into partisan politics.
A statement by Mr Femi Soneye, Chief Corporate Communications Officer of the NNPC, noted that Atiku was also quoted to have listed the retention of Mr. Mele Kyari as the Group Chief Executive Officer of NNPC Ltd as a compensation for the alleged acquisition of NNPC Retail Ltd by OVH in which he claimed Mr Wale Tinubu held 49% stake.
Atiku also alleged that the NNPC Retail Ltd—OVH acquisition deal was part of a grand scheme by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to integrate his personal business interests into Nigeria’s public enterprises at the federal level.
However, Soneye said that the NNPC Ltd is a commercially-focused and profit-driven company managed by professionals who are committed to adding value to the nation.
The spokesperson of the NNPC also said the investment decisions by the Corporation’s Management are strictly determined on the basis of commercial viability and national interest.
Soneye explained that at the time NNPC Ltd acquired OVH in 2022, Oando (in which Mr. Wale Tinubu has equity interest), had fully divested its equity in OVH to the two other partners – Vitol and Helios.
He further said; “Oando actually began its divestment in 2016, with Vitol and Helios coming in as equity partners, leading to the change of name from Oando to OVH.
“In 2019, Oando fully divested its equity interest in OVH resulting in Vitol and Helios holding 50% equity interests respectively.
“Upon acquisition of OVH by NNPC Ltd, both NNPC Retail Ltd and OVH effectively became subsidiaries of NNPC Ltd. “However, based on professional advice and sound commercial considerations, NNPC Ltd opted to merge NNPC Retail Limited into OVH, and thereafter retain NNPC Retail Limited as the company name post-merger.
“The first step of merging NNPC Retail Ltd into OVH has been completed and the post-merger renaming as NNPC Retail Ltd is ongoing.
“Contrary to the false alarm raised, neither Wale Tinubu nor the President has any interest in the OVH acquisition,” he said.
The NNPC Ltd said that as a businessman, the former Vice President should know that effectiveness in business leadership is best measured by balance sheets and bottom lines rather than pedestrian considerations.
Soneye said that the management of NNPC Ltd, under the leadership of Mr. Mele Kyari, has done very well in growing the company’s fortunes as shown in the 2023 Audited Financial Statement (AFS), where it reported N3.3 trillion as profit after tax.
