Just when Nigerians hoped for real change at the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), we are hit with yet another disappointment. The board and top management have flown off to Kigali, Rwanda, for a retreat.
A retreat? To Kigali?
This is the same NNPCL that is supposed to be reforming. The same company that drains public resources while ordinary Nigerians struggle to survive. Under new CEO Bayo Ojulari, many believed we would finally see a shift. But this latest trip tells us otherwise. Lavish spending, tone-deaf decisions, and zero accountability remain the order of the day.
Let us not forget that just last year, under Mele Kyari, the NNPCL board was flown to Qatar for a similar retreat. Now, under Ojulari, it is Kigali. Different name, different leader, same culture of excess. Where is the change? Where is the fresh thinking we were promised?
Would the board of Rwanda’s national oil company travel to Nigeria for a retreat? Certainly not. But NNPCL continues to send its top brass abroad at a time when the country is facing severe economic pressure.
Nigerians are battling high fuel prices, a weakened naira, and an overstretched economy. Families are barely managing to feed themselves. Young people are unemployed and frustrated. Yet, those entrusted with managing one of our most critical national assets are globe-trotting on public funds. Even more troubling is that none of the board members could stand firm or question the clear extravagance of this decision.
The most alarming part? There is a growing sense, even within the company, that Bayo Ojulari is struggling. Struggling to assert his authority. Struggling to take bold decisions. Struggling to free himself from the grip of entrenched interests. The recent resignation of the Chief Corporate Communications Officer speaks volumes. Reports suggest he stepped down because Ojulari failed to take principled stands or confront deep-seated internal issues. Certain individuals continue to be protected. Power blocs remain untouched. The same old cliques still pull the strings. It is clear that the system is overwhelming him, just as it did those before him.
So once again, we ask: is this business as usual?
Mr. President, Nigerians are watching. Is Bayo Ojulari truly the man to lead NNPCL into a new era of transparency and reform? Or has he simply inherited the seat while continuing the very culture the nation hoped to leave behind?
Real transformation does not begin in Kigali. It begins here at home. It begins with courage, integrity, and leadership that puts the nation first.
Until then, all we are witnessing is recycled leadership, recycled waste, and recycled excuses.
And that is the tragedy Nigeria can no longer afford.
Credit:The Guardian