Nigeria Labour Congress Protests Against Appointment Of Aminu Ahmed To NNPCL Board
President Bola Tinubu had last week appointed Aminu Said Ahmed, a senior manager from the NMDPRA to represent the Ministry of Petroleum Resources on the NNPCL board.
The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) chapter in the Ministry of Petroleum Resources,(MPR) has protested against the appointment of Aminu Said Ahmed to represent the Ministry of Petroleum Resources on the board of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd).
President Bola Tinubu had last week appointed Aminu Said Ahmed, a senior manager from the NMDPRA to represent the Ministry of Petroleum Resources on the NNPCL board.
But reacting to the appointment, the NLC rejected Aminu Ahmed saying “he is not a staff of the Ministry of Petroleum.”
According to the organised labour union, the appointment is a sheer violation of Section 59(2)(d) of the PIA, which stipulates that the representative of the Ministry of Petroleum Resources on the board of the NNPC should not be below the rank of a director from the ministry.
The NLC chapter of the Ministry of Petroleum calls for immediate reversal of the appointment of Aminu Said Ahmed, who they claimed, is a senior manager from the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), as the ministry’s representative on the board.
An energy expert, Abolade Adewale, who spoke on behalf of other NLC members on Monday argued that the appointment violates Section 59(2)(d) of the PIA 2021, which stipulates that the NNPC Ltd Board shall comprise “a representative of the Ministry of Petroleum Resources (MPR), not below the rank of a director.”
He emphasised that the NMDPRA is an independent regulatory agency, distinct from the Ministry, and therefore, its staff cannot represent the MPR on the board.
They noted with great concern the recent appointment of Aminu Said Ahmed, a Grade Level 14 officer in the NMDPRA to represent the Ministry of Petroleum Resources on the NNPC Limited Board.
They added that this is inconsistent with the provisions of Section (59) subsection (2) sub (d) of PIA Act, 2021 and a grand conspiracy to usurp the Ministry at all cost.
They highlighted that the Federal Ministry of Finance (FMF) is represented on the same board by its permanent secretary, aligning with the PIA’s requirement for Ministerial representation.
The NLC urged President Tinubu, to maintain institutional parity by appointing a Permanent Secretary from the MPR to the board.
“The PIA provides that a representative of the MPR and the FMF not below the rank of a Director should be appointed as a member of the board, hence, the appointment of the Permanent Secretary, FMF as a member of the board was in accordance with the PIA provisions. Aminu Said Ahmed is neither a director nor a staff of the Ministry of Petroleum Resources,” the NLC members further stated.
They also addressed the issue of representation in international petroleum organisations, stating that the Ministry should lead delegations to bodies like Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) etc as mandated by Section 3(1) (d) of the PIA.
The labour union criticised the practice of assigning non-Ministry officials to such roles based on nepotism, citing concerns over institutional memory and reputational risks.
“We therefore respectfully submit that all nominations to international engagements on Petroleum-related matters should kindly be made strictly among serving officials of the MPR through formal appointment by the Minister, as permitted under the law,” added Adewale.
They called for a reaffirmation of statutory compliance and institutional mandate, urging the President to reverse the appointment of Aminu Said Ahmed and approve a high ranking officer of the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, which in this case should be the Permanent Secretary to be at a parity with the Federal Ministry of Finance Permanent Secretary as a member of the NNPC Ltd Board.
They expressed confidence that the President would take corrective action to uphold the integrity of the PIA 2021.
