Panic over sacking in NNPC as company debunks move – Nexus News
Yesterday, The Nigeria National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, reiterated that the company will not take law into its own hands by discharging staff.
There were reports that thousands of staff at the newly unveiled company were being discharged of their duty, particularly those who are redundant.
NNPC spokesperson, Garba Deen Muhammad, informed newsmen last night that provisions of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) stressed that people will not lose their jobs as a result of the law, noting that the new company would not interfere with the law.
He, however, disclosed that in a situation where staff opt for early retirement, the company would not delay such actions.
“It is not true that we are sacking. If it was true, you would have heard it from Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN). The PIA made it clear that nobody will lose their job as a result of the transition from corporation to NNPC Limited. That is the provision, to do otherwise is to take the law into our hands and NNPC is a law-abiding entity.
“Please ignore it, it is not true. There may be people who are willing to retire early voluntarily. It is their choice,” he said.
When asked if such is presently happening, Muhammad stated that there has always been such situation, adding that people who want to retire are free.
It was gathered that staff were being given the option of retirement and enticed with juicy severance packages.
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After 45 years of its establishment, President Muhammadu Buhari had last week revealed a new NNPC Limited, a development that is causing dissent among stakeholders, especially on the issue of redundant staff.
Energy lawyer, Madaki Ameh, said: “I am not optimistic about the unveiling of NNPC as a limited liability company under CAMA 2020 because it is akin to putting new wine in old wineskins.”
Madaki noted that while the staff remain the same as well as their operational modus, the company, as a consistent loss making organization, may not change.
“I don’t see how the change will catapult NNPC Ltd into a profitable business. It is early days yet, but the optimism has to be a cautious one, so that Nigerians will not be disappointed, again,” he noted.
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