‘Akpabio’s Daughter Got NNPC Job Without Due Process’

‘Akpabio’s Daughter Got NNPC Job Without Due Process’ – Oshiomhole
He claimed former NNPC boss Mele Kyari facilitated the appointment.
The senator also accused NNPC officials of widespread nepotism.

Senator Adams Oshiomhole, representing Edo North Senatorial District, has alleged that the daughter of Senate President Godswill Akpabio secured a position in the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) without going through the standard recruitment process.

The former Edo State governor made the claim while speaking on the Mic On Podcast hosted by journalist Seun Okinbaloye.

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EKO HOT BLOG reports that according to Oshiomhole, former Group Chief Executive Officer of the NNPC, Mele Kyari, facilitated the appointment of Akpabio’s daughter into what he described as a desirable position within the national oil company.

The senator said information available to him suggested that the appointment did not follow the established recruitment procedures usually required for employment into the organisation.

“Myself inclusive. The second is my response to the former chief financial controller of NNPC, whose tenure the investigation covers, who pointedly said to the committee that it is you, people. And now I know that the Senate President said his daughter was taken by Mele Kyari and put in a, well, as Nigerians we say, in a juicy position that he probably didn’t merit,” Oshiomhole said.

He further alleged that nepotism had become widespread within the NNPC, claiming that both former and current officials had used their influence to secure jobs for family members and associates.

“They all have employed their children, their uncles, their cousins, their in-laws into various aspects of NNPC and put them in different positions. If they carry out the payroll of NNPC, you will find that they’ve turned the top level to a family business,” he alleged.

Oshiomhole, however, stressed that there was nothing wrong with relatives of public officials working for the NNPC, provided they were qualified and employed through a transparent and merit-based process.

“You can only make an issue if you give them a job they did not merit, they are not qualified for, and you didn’t follow the right procedure. Well, somebody told me that the Senate president daughter was taken without, not through a regular interview, not through the normal, but that is his own problem,” he added.

The lawmaker also responded to criticism surrounding the Senate’s reported disowning of an arrest warrant issued against Mele Kyari, maintaining that the action taken by lawmakers was within the constitutional powers of the National Assembly.

Neither Akpabio, his daughter nor Kyari had publicly responded to the allegations as of the time of filing this report.