09 March 2016, Abuja – Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr Ibe Kachikwu on Wednesday insisted that the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation was not unbundled but said he was ready to engage the workers in talks.
Kachikwu, who spoke with State House correspondents after the Federal Executive Council meeting, said that more efforts would be made to explain to the workers what had happened.
He admitted that the engagement between the management and workers might not have been good enough.
He said: “We had a press conference yesterday where I explained this.
“What we have simply done is reorganisation. We have five business entities focus on business: Upstream, Downstream, Refineries, Gas and Power that are there before.
“There is also venture that captures all our little companies that were not having proper stewardship. They are run by individuals who report to the GMD.
“The NNPC is still a whole. There is nothing new that has happened.
“I have tried to explain this and I am sure the NNPC workers are members of the family, they will understand. We are going to have a meeting, and they will be made to understand. Perhaps the engagement has not been good enough.
“NNPC has not been unbundled in the sense of breaking up NNPC into distinct institutions.
“I am concerned. I don’t want the industry shut down. I am sure we are going to resolve the issues very soon.”
- This Day