NNPC staff shun directive to declare their assets

NNPC Towers, Abuja

Investigation by New Telegraph has revealed that over 1,500 members of
staff, mostly at the top management level of the the NNPC has shunned the
directive to declare their assets.
As at May 2016, just about 70 per cent of its about 5,000 core staff have
complied to the directive.
The 70 per cent asset declaration figure was achieved through a strategic
effort that commenced on Tuesday, August 4, 2015 to “stop the bleeding;
shine the light; increase efficiency; manage performance and push and
profitability.”
“What obtained before August 4, 2015, when the corporation got a new group
managing director in person of Dr Ibe Kachikwu is that nobody cares about
whether anybody declares assets or not,” a senior staff of NNPC squealed
under the condition of anonymity.
In the monthly financial operations data of the NNPC for the month of May,
published on the organisation’s website, the corporation said that it
“achieved 70 per cent compliance on assets declaration by staff of the
corporation,” as a part of efforts to “enhance transparency and accountability
and achieve zero tolerance for corruption.”
NNPC staff are however scattered across the country. While some are at the
headquarters of the NNPC in Abuja, others are also at the zonal offices in
Lagos, Kaduna, Port Harcourt and Warri. The NNPC also has an international
office located in London, United Kingdom.
A KPMG report in December 2011, commissioned by the ministry of finance
following concerns over the NNPC’s transparency, detailed the NNPC’s sharp
business practices to include violation of regulations, illegal deductions of
funds belonging to the state, and failure to account for several billions of
naira that should go to the federation account.
The auditors found that between 2007 and 2009 alone, the corporation over-
deducted funds in subsidy claims to the tune of N28.5 billion. It has not
been able to account for the sum ever since.