August 16, (THEWILL) – A notable youth leader in Niger Delta, Comrade Odiri Umukoro, has explained that the Benin kingdom has produced two managing directors of Nigerian Petroleum Development Company, NPDC, since its inception.
Umukoro, reacting to report credited to a certain Benin social cultural group, said the group should have done more investigation before coming public to claim that no single Benin man has held the position of Managing Director of NPDC.
Umukoro, an indigene of major oil and gas producing community in Delta State, in a statement on Tuesday, in Asaba, Delta State, said: “Two prominent Benin sons had been appointed and occupied the position of Managing Directors of NPDC. They were Engr. Chris O. Ogiemwonyi – November, 2003 – March, 2005; and Engr. George Osahon – April, 2005 – November, 2008 respectively.”
“It is wrong and totally misleading for the Benin social cultural group to have erroneously claimed that no Benin man had held the MD’s position in NPDC since it was created in 1988.
“Our Benin brothers should also know or be reminded that there are other tribes in Niger Delta hosting critical and production Assets of NPDC yet to be appointed as Managing Director of NPDC. Therefore, calling or demanding for the appointment of a Benin man as MD could trigger ethnic disunity and hinders peaceful cohabitation.”
He explained that NPDC covers all the oil producing states in Nigeria and only has it’s administrative headquarters in Benin City, while the production Assets are in other states in Niger Delta.
Umukoro urged President Muhammadu Buhari to ignore the misleading claim and demands by the group, adding that merit and work experience have always been considered in appointing MD of NPDC and not ethnicity.
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