The All Progressives Congress leaders in Bayelsa state have sent a letter of protest to President Muhammadu Buhari, over alleged irregularities and lopsidedness in recent promotion exercise carried out by the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC.
They claimed that the promotion was meant to be on the basis of performance, qualification and other in-house parameters; the exercise conducted by the NNPC was unfair, against the rules and excluded the Bayelsa indigenes from the twenty slots allocated to the South-south region out of a hundred and nine positions in the corporation.
The aggrieved Bayelsa APC members, in the protest letter sent to the President and signed by its spokesman, Hon. Fortune Panebi, stated that “the Party called for a recall of the exercise and asked for a thorough investigation into the alleged manipulation of the exercise that was described as a fraud and deliberate attempt against Bayelsans.
“Noting that Delta state that already had a serving Minister of state for Petroleum was given (slots) eight persons promoted to a senior rank (General manager) in the same corporation.”
Panebi, stated that “the state doesn’t deserve to be sidelined when it comes to issues that should be beneficial to all, as enshrined in the federal character principle! notwithstanding their political differences, adding that with the five qualified managers in the NNPC, none was given to Bayelsa, but 8 to Delta, Cross River 4, Edo 4, Akwa- Ibom 2 and Rivers 2.”
The party joined other Bayelsans to reject the recent promotion conducted in the Corporation, and approved by President Muhammadu Buhari, describing it as lopsided, arguing that Bayelsa state is the second highest oil producing state in the country.
The state APC leaders slammed heads of the corporation, Group Managing Director, GMD, the Group General Manager, GGM, human resources, over the deliberate attempt to cause disaffection between the people of the region, adding that most of these are the cause of the crisis brewing in the Niger-Delta region.
They questioned those involved to come out openly and explain why they are fighting the state or have they suddenly become enemies of Bayelsa state! adding that the state can never be sidelined the way it was in the recent ambassadorial appointment slots.
The statement described the exercise as “totally condemnable and unacceptable as well as a deliberate attack on the people of the State, while calling on the President to revisit the file and approve those qualified from Bayelsa to be included.
“The party said the promotion is part of paying back to the oil producing states which Bayelsa is one: also noting that the managers from other states are not more qualified than the ones from Bayelsa, the cabals around the President causing troubles should stop their madness”
The state party leaders, however, commended the IYC and other Bayelsans for reacting in a reasonable manner for the good of all in the State, but urged that the process be reversed and the five managers from Bayelsa state included.
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