Kyari: The Game Changer

Things are happening in Nigeria, of this, one cannot debate. Some of these things are so bad they beggar the imaginative mind. Others are commendable, leaving outsiders to sigh in envy. Among the latter, Mele Kyari, the Group Managing Director (GMD) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC) is doing well. Considering that he is walking in the light of his predecessors in terms of achievements, one can easily call him the game changer, weakening the hold of foul management in the leading oil company.

Too many things are flying around these days, things that can easily mislead a person into thinking that a particular figure of note is a criminal when said figure is half a step into angelhood. Kyari has become subject to this kind of treatment, leaving a few to wonder if the NNPC boss is the brand of bad that his detractors paint him to be. The simple truth is that Kyari is not.

Since he came into the NNPC GMD position, things have been different for the oil dynamics in Nigeria. Despite the challenges of revamping the industry, Kyari has done loads that are deserving of honours. As for NNPC itself, it is to Kyari’s credit that the company is doing far better today than it used to, whether the point of comparison is the company’s refining capacity or the plans towards ensuring the sustainability of petroleum products.

Kyari is not one to blow his trumpets. However, records show that many of the recent turnarounds in crude oil marketing come from him. These include NNPC’s partnership with the Italian company, Eni, the proceeds of which are expected to be seen across the country this year.

What about his contributions to the Port Harcourt refinery? What about his prompt feedback to Nigerians wanting to know what’s going on in the oil industry? Kyari is doing things differently, showing himself to be unique, the game changer.