The House of Representatives has revolved to investigate alleged lopsided managerial appointments in the Nigeria Agip Oil Company Limited in favour of a particular geopolitical zone.
Members of the House from Bayelsa, Rivers and Delta at the plenary on Tuesday moved a motion alleging that their states were marginalised in the appointments.
The motion of urgent public importance, which was unanimously adopted by the lawmakers, was titled ‘The need to address the imminent civil disorder and breakdown of law and order across the Niger Delta arising from the skewed internal operations of the Nigeria Agip Oil Company Limited.’
Moving the motion on behalf of the sponsors, Mr Preye Oseke, noted that NAOC was the operator of the Joint Venture agreements between the Federal Government of Nigeria as represented by the Nigeria Petroleum Development Company and Oando, just as it does with Total Nigeria Limited and Shell Petroleum Development Company Limited respectively.
Oseke also noted that JV facilities operated NAOC were in Bayelsa, Rivers, Delta and Imo State respectively, with the least facility being in the latter.
He further noted that across all JV agreements, the Federal Government of Nigeria owned 60 per cent of shares, adding that being largely Federal Government entities, there must be a semblance of federal character across all JV operations viz-a-viz the recruitment of local qualified manpower.
The lawmaker said, “The House is disturbed however that all senior management positions in NAOC are occupied by personnel of a certain geopolitical zone.”
He said apart from those manned by expatriate staff, the Head of Legal; General Manager, Human Resources; Head, Division of Operations; Project Development, Stakeholders Department, Health Safety and Environment, and Medicals were all headed by personnel of the said zone.
