The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) and the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) have rejected the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd) board’s decision to make external appointments into top positions in the organisation.

In a letter dated 7 April, addressed to the NNPC Group Chief Executive Officer, NUPENG and PENGASSAN unequivocally rejected these appointments, citing concerns over the impact on career growth for internal staff.

The letter, titled ‘Re: Filling of top management positions in NNPC Limited with externally recruited personnel is unacceptable to PENGASSAN and NUPENG GEC’, was signed by the NUPENG General Secretary, Afolabi Olawale and PENGASSAN General Secretary, Lumumba Okugbawa.

Copies of the letter were also addressed to the Minister of State of Petroleum Resources (Oil), Minister of State of Petroleum Resources (Gas), Chairman, Board of NNPC Ltd, Chief Human Resources Officer, NNPC Ltd, Group Chairman GEC PENGASSAN, NNPC Ltd and Group Chairman GEC NUPENG, NNPC Ltd.

The unions argued that external appointments undermine the career growth of internal staff and may not positively impact the company’s bottom line. They cited a previous instance in 2015 when external appointments were made, resulting in stagnation for career employees.

“We bring you fraternal greetings from the National Secretariat of NUPENG and PENGASSAN. We received a troubling communication from our in-house unions dated 4th of April 2025 about management’s plans to hire top and middle-level management externally.

“We are in total solidarity with our members in NNPC Ltd as there is no proven record that hiring externally has yielded any positive impact on the company. We recall that when Dr Kachikwu was appointed to lead the company in 2015, he removed the entire top management team and brought in people from the I0Cs,” the letter reads.

The unions said all the Group Chief Operating Officers in the different directorates and lots of the MDs were brought in from outside the company.

This act yielded no impact on the company’s bottom line, but instead, it stiffened the growth of career employees who had dedicated their entire working lives to the service of the then corporation and now company, the letter said.

“We have critically examined that such recruitments over the years are either to satisfy cronies or pay back those who lobbied for their appointments to the detriment of the career growth of Nigerians who work in a company that has been properly trained over the years.

READ ALSO: NUPENG, PENGASSAN raise concerns over NNPC external recruitment

“We wholeheartedly welcome the new GCEO and the board members that were appointed by the President and Commander-in-chief on Wednesday 2nd of April 2025, but unequivocally reject all external appointments that the board made into the M2 position and below on Friday 4th of April 2025.

“We, therefore, demand that this should be rescinded immediately as we have put our in-house group councils and various organs of the unions on red alert as failure to abide by this demand will be met with fierce and serial industrial unrest,” the letter reads.

Last Wednesday, President Bola Tinubu sacked the board of the NNPC, including its Group Chief Executive Officer, Mele Kyari and board chairman, Pius Akinyelure.

The president also approved Bayo Ojulari as the new GCEO of the NNPC and Ahmadu Kida as non-executive chairman.

Last Friday, the NNPC announced the appointment of a new 8-man senior management team.