Senator Adams Oshiomhole has alleged that Senate President Godswill Akpabio’s daughter secured a “juicy position” in the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPC, without following due process.
Oshiomhole made the allegation while speaking on the Mic On Podcast hosted by Seun Okinbaloye, where he defended his comments on the Senate’s handling of issues relating to the NNPC and a bench warrant issued against former NNPC Group Chief Executive Officer, Mele Kyari.
The former Edo State governor also accused Akpabio of having a personal interest in the NNPC, claiming that Kyari facilitated the appointment of the Senate President’s daughter.
According to Oshiomhole, information available to him suggested that the appointment was not made through the normal recruitment process.
“Myself inclusive. The second is my response to the former chief financial controller of NNPC, whose tenure the investigation covers, who pointedly said to the committee that it is you people. And now I know that the Senate President said his daughter was taken by Mele Kyari and put in a, well as Nigerians we say, in a juicy position that he probably didn’t merit,” he said.
Oshiomhole further alleged that nepotism had become entrenched within the national oil company, claiming that both past and present officials had facilitated employment opportunities for relatives.
“They all have employed their children, their uncles, their cousins, their in-laws into various aspects of NNPC and put them in different positions. If they carry out the payroll of NNPC, you will find that they’ve turned the top level to a family business,” he said.
The senator, however, maintained that there was nothing wrong with relatives of public officials working in the NNPC provided they were qualified and recruited through due process.
“You can only make an issue if you give them a job they did not merit, they are not qualified for, and you didn’t follow the right procedure. Well, somebody told me that the Senate president daughter was taken without, not through a regular interview, not through the normal, but that is his own problem,” Oshiomhole said.
He also addressed criticism over the Senate’s reported disowning of the arrest warrant issued against Kyari, insisting that the legislative action was within the powers granted to the National Assembly under the Constitution.
