Mele Kolo Kyari’s appointment as NNPC boss was praised by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and the Nigerian Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI).
The organizations gave the award in a declaration signed by NNPC spokesperson Ndu Ughamadu.
On Thursday, President Muhammadu Buhari appointed Mr Kyari as the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC)’s 19th Group Managing Director along with other Chief Operating Officers.
The appointment of the Kyari is to take effect from July 8, following the retirement of Maikanti Baru, the incumbent GMD.
Mr Ughamadu observed that for the appointments, Mr Baru also praised the chairman and characterized them as well deserved for Kyari and others.
Mr. Baru voiced his optimism that the new GMD and his team would fulfill their respective mandates in line with the vision of the Buhari administration and the dreams of the founding fathers of the Corporation, wishing the new appointees success in their various roles.
In a letter to the new GMD, Mohammed Sanusi Barkindo, OPEC Scribe, said the appointment did not come as a surprise, but as a testament to Mr Kyari’s exemplary record and exceptional performance over the years in his illustrious NNPC career.
“You have earned the respect of your colleagues in OPEC’s Economic Commission Board (ECB) where you have conducted yourself with gravitas and greatly contributed to the discussions and decisions of this body,” Mr Ughamadu quoted Mr Barkindo as saying.
Kyari was the National Representative of Nigeria at the OPEC before his appointment, a job he combined with the Group Manager in charge of the Crude Oil Marketing Division (COMD) of NNPC.
For his portion, NEITI’s Executive Secretary, Waziri Adio, defined Mr Kyari as a well-known transparency champion who shared the values underlining the job of NEITI and the worldwide EITI on good governance of the oil and gas industry.
“As a member of the global EITI Working Group on commodity trading transparency, Mr Kyari’s appointment has placed him in a vantage position to push the frontiers of openness and to work more closely with NEITI and the global EITI,” Mr Adio said.
