21 January 2012, Sweetcrude, ABUJA – Nigeria’s Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, Friday, announced the setting up of a special Task Force on Governance and Controls in the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and other parastatals in the Petroleum Ministry.Part of the reform and transformation agenda in the Nigerian petroleum industry, the development is specifically aimed at enforcing transparency and accountability in the system.
A statement by the ministry listed the task of the new body to include review of all management controls within NNPC and other parastatals, design of new corporate governance code for ensuring full transparency, good governance and global best practices in the parastatals; and design of a blueprint for separating policy from operations in parastatals;
Other assignments of the taskforce, according to the statement signed by the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, are the setting up of key performance indices for NNPC and other parastatals, designing of a blueprint for eliminating all rent-seeking opportunities and arbitrage, designing of a blueprint for professionalism of management and personnel in the parastatals, designing a road map for transition to the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB); and working with external consultants as may be required to produce a report within the next thirty days.
The task force has Mr. Dotun Sulaiman as chairman. Members include Mr Basil Omiyi, former Managing Director of Shell Nigeria, Mr. Mac Ofurhie, ex-Director of the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), Alhaji M.I. Yahaya, Mallam Mahmud Isa-Dutse, Chief Raymond Ihyembe and Dr. Ayebaemi Spiff.
Others are Ms. Mairo Bashir, Mr. Ik Osakwe, Mr. Ernest Ebi and Ms. Lois Machunga.
