Two major oil workers’ unions in Nigeria, NUPENG and PENGASSAN, are unhappy with a recent decision made by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL). The unions are upset because the company’s new leadership plans to hire top managers from outside instead of promoting existing staff.

This follows the recent appointment of Mr. Bayo Ojulari as the new Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of NNPCL and Ahmadu Kida as the new non-executive chairman. Their appointment ended the term of the former GCEO, Mele Kyari, and chairman Pius Akinyelure.

In a letter dated April 4, the two unions made it clear that they are against bringing in new people from outside the company to fill high-level positions. They believe NNPCL already has many skilled and dedicated professionals who have worked for years and deserve a chance to grow.

The unions warned that hiring outsiders would not only be unfair to current staff, but could also affect the company’s growth and employee morale. They stressed that if the company continues with this plan, it could lead to serious disruptions, including a full shutdown of operations.

They reminded the management that their members have contributed a lot to NNPCL’s success and should be given the opportunity to move up in their careers. The letter was signed by top officials from both unions and sent to key figures in NNPCL’s leadership.

In closing, NUPENG and PENGASSAN said they support the new management but urged them to reverse the decision and promote staff from within the company instead.