Skymark Energy And Power Ltd chairman Salutes Longest-serving NNPCL GCEO, Kyari, On Birthday

The Chairman of Skymark Energy and Power, Alhaji Muhammad Saleh Hassan, has saluted the Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Mallam Mele Kyari, as he marks his birthday today (January 8, 2028.)

While felicitating the longest-serving CEO of the NNPCL who is also the first GCEO of the nation’s oil conglomerate, Hassan also lauded President Bola Tinubu for acknowledging Kyari’s sterling performance in a birthday message to him.

In a statement in Abuja on Monday, Hassan who urged Kyari to do more, highlighted some of his numerous achievements.

He said: “Kyari’s track record performance are humongous. Before July 7, 2019, when he assumed the position of GCEO, the company had been in a near comatose, following challenges such as oil pipeline vandalism, corruption, incessant oil theft, low production levels and the lack of transparency. But through his professionalism, patriotism and doggedness, he proffered solutions to them all.”

He added: “Through his initiatives, he transformed the NNPC from a loss status to a profitable entity in 2020 when, for the first time in its 44 years history, NNPCL declared a profit after tax of N287 billion. This figure later increased to N674 billion in 2021. The profit has since hit trillion naira capacity since then.

“Also through his management skills, the corporation has been witnessing increase in crude oil production.

“His active roles in the passage of Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) by former president, Muhammadu Buhari, on August 16, 2021 guaranteed the rebirth of the oil company as the rejuvenated NNPCL.

“The ongoing rehabilitation of the nation’s three refineries in Warri, Kaduna and Port Harcourt, is also an outcome of Kyari’s initiative and commitment to find solution to the perennial fuel scarcity and price hike in the country.

“He was also instrumental in the removal of petrol subsidy by the Federal Government as announced on May 29, 2023, by Tinubu’s administration. The initiative has started yielding dividends in appreciable proportions.

“Kyari is also the first NNPC’s CEO to go all the way to the creeks in the Niger Delta to monitor oil theft and pipeline vandalisation. His war against crude oil theft and illegal refineries have led to a significant increase in oil production.

“This doggedness has curbed oil theft through the introduction of Saudi Aramco’s model, using video surveillance to monitor pipelines carrying crude oil from wells to flow stations in the Niger Delta.

“With his investment-friendly interest in the oil and gas sector, Kyari ensured that the NNPCL secured $7 billion fresh investments from India for Nigeria’s petrochemical industry. The deal was sealed when he accompanied President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to India.

“Kyari’s contributions to national development and economic prosperity has gone beyond the NNPCL as the company, last year, secured a $3 billion facility from Afreximbank to enable the Federal Government stabilise the foreign exchange market and boost the value of the naira against the dollar.

“Under his administration, the NNPCL, last year, sealed a deal with Fox Petroleum Group to obtain $7.5 billion dollars to overhaul its operations across the upstream, mainstream and downstream petroleum sector.

“During Kyari’s administration, the NNPCL signed an MOU last year with a Chinese company to develop an LNG project that would deliver gas to industries nation wide to guarantee efficient supply of LNG with a view to delivering on President Tinubu’s gas and power aspiration across the country.”

Hassan who lauded Kyari’s unalloyed commitment, integrity, character and passion, however, urged him to keep steering the wheels of the company in the direction of excellence and success in fulfilment of the aspirations of the masses.

“You have the capacity. You have all it takes. You have the passion. You have demonstrated integrity, resilience, perseverance and goodwill in managing the nation’s oil industry. With the testament of the president’s message to you as you celebrate your birthday today, it’s crystal-clear that not only him but also the whole nation still reposes confidence in you to do more. I encourage you to maintain your midas touch and your indefatigable capacity with the hope that excellence shall remain your second name throughout your tenure at the NNPCL,” Hassan said.

Hassan described the president as a man of goodwill who cherishes credibility, integrity, quality, result and track record performance whenever he notices them among any technocrat that he rightly put in position.

“It is in this spirit that he has graciously commended Kyari in his birthday message to him as the boss of the nation’s oil giant celebrates his birthday today,” Hassan stressed.

The Skymark Energy and Power Ltd boss added that Kyari’s commendation was well deserved, having unarguably demonstrated capacity with pungent results in diverse ways at the NNPCL with a midas touch.

Hassan noted that Tinubu’s acknowledgement of Kyari’s performance and commendation, would surely encourage him to do more and thanked him (the president) for the recognition.

“The president is a leader that has passion for performance and result, especially because he himself is passionate about running a credible government that could bequeath dividends of democracy to the people. It’s against this backdrop that he has lauded Kyari on the occasion of his birthday. Obviously, he would keep getting the desired results,” Hassan noted.

Recall that the president had commended the diligence, passion, and expertise the foremost geologist brings to tasks as one of the longest-tenured chief executives in the history of Africa’s most valuable energy company in a birthday message to Kyari signed by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Chief Ajuri Ngelale.

“Mele is a man of action, rather than words. He is proactive in his approach. His ability to diagnose complicated problems with thoughtful and pragmatic solutions has created a path for him to continue rendering valuable service to our nation. I wish him a happy birthday,” the president said.

“President Tinubu prays that Almighty Allah grant the business executive more wisdom and strength in his service to Nigeria,” the statement added.

Hassan, however, called on stakeholders, including the masses, to keep on supporting Kyari as he maintains commitment to taking the nation’s oil industry to the next level with a view to guaranteeing their aspirations.