‘Allah Made Me Grow From Almajiri School Pupil Into NNPCL GCEO’- Kyari Says In 60th Birthday Message

…Hails Tinubu, Buhari For ‘Exceptional Privilege’ To Serve Nigeria As NNPC GCEO

On Wednesday, the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, Mele Kyari, expressed gratitude to God for the privilege to grow from an Almajiri School pupil into becoming the head of the largest energy company in Africa.

Kyari said this in a post on X (formerly Twitter) to celebrate his 60th birthday.

The NNPC Boss in the message expressed deep appreciation for the exceptional privilege given to him by former President Muhammadu Buhari and President Bola Tinubu to serve as the last Group Managing Director of the NNPC and the pioneer CEO of the NNPC Ltd.

He stated in the post that reflecting backwards alone cannot account for the profoundly eventful life he has spent to this date.

According to him, walking through good and bad times, travails and triumphs, pains and happiness, fails and successes, and many more are the events that only the sufficiency of Allah will explain.

The post reads, “Allah, by his grace, spared my life to this exceptional day, making it my 60th year from birth, even much earlier on the Hijri calendar.

“I am profoundly grateful to my country for allowing me to grow from an Almajiri (Tsangaya) school pupil to become the CEO of Africa’s largest energy company.

“Even more particularly, I deeply appreciate the exceptional privilege given to me by Presidents Muhammadu Buhari and Bola Ahmed Tinubu to serve as the last GMD of the NNPC and the pioneer CEO of the NNPC Ltd.

“Reflecting backwards alone can’t account for the profoundly eventful life I spent to this date, walking through good and bad times, travails and triumphs, pains and happiness, fails and successes, and many more that only the sufficiency of Allah will explain.

“At this milestone, I feel the obligation to serve with even greater conviction and with elevated expectation of eternal recompense so deeply pleasing. I am hugely indebted to my family for being nearly absent for most of my later years serving our nation and the common good.

“My deep appreciation to my family, friends, and associates, my colleagues at work and my teachers (western and of Almajiri extractions), and many unmentioned people who account for many of my accomplishments, unconditional support, and my overall well-being.

“This is a turning point, and I seek forgiveness from anyone I might have hurt unintentionally or unavoidably.”

President Bola Tinubu has hailed Mele Kolo Kyari, the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), as a shining example of his administration’s Renewed Hope agenda as the GCEO marks his 60th birthday on January 8.

In a congratulatory message released by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, President Tinubu praised Kyari’s leadership in transforming NNPCL into a profitable organisation, citing notable achievements including the recent resuscitation of two refineries and increased oil production to 1.8 million barrels per day.

The commendation comes days after the restart of operations at the Warri Refinery, which Tinubu described as “a remarkable way to end the year” following earlier successes with the Port Harcourt Refinery.

The Warri facility, which is now operating at 60 per cent capacity, marks a milestone in the administration’s energy efficiency plans.

“Kyari is a shining example and embodiment of the ideals of the Renewed Hope Agenda. I commend his commitment to creating new opportunities and ensuring the growth and sustainability of Nigeria’s energy sector,” Onanuga quoted Tinubu as hailing the NNPCL GCEO.

President Tinubu had earlier directed the NNPCL to restore the country’s all four refineries to good working condition to establish the country as a hub for crude oil refining in Africa.

Under Kyari’s leadership, NNPCL has recorded increased domestic natural gas consumption alongside other operational improvements.

Tinubu, in a recent tweet, urged the NNPCL GCEO to consolidate his achievements by accelerating repair work on the Kaduna refinery and the second refinery in Port Harcourt to further position Nigeria as a global energy provider.

In his birthday message, Tinubu prayed for Kyari’s continued good health, wisdom, and strength to serve the nation while mentoring the next generation of energy sector leaders.

Kyari has remained resilient, professional, and focused in his bid to change the bad narratives of the oil and gas sector. He has painstakingly introduced several innovations into the oil company, which had since positioned the NNPCL on an upward trajectory.

With his TAPE Agenda (Transparency, Accountability, and Performance Excellence), Kyari has turned around the oil company, making it competitive in the global market and thereby increasing the nation’s prosperity.

Beyond running the company on sound and globally recognized and acclaimed management principles, Kyari has repositioned NNPC Ltd. as one of the leading oil companies in the world.

In addition, he has used his position as head of the company to aid in the tackling of key challenges confronting the Nigerian economy. One of these is the vexed question of crude oil theft, which has challenged successive governments in Nigeria since the country’s return to representative democracy in 1999.

It is on record that the NNPC, under Kyari’s leadership, designed the “Crude Theft Monitoring Application,” an application that has options for reporting incidents with prompt follow-up and responses and another for crude sales document validation.

Before the launch of the application, Kyari had taken leading officials of the Nigerian government to the Niger Delta creeks to tackle the menace of oil theft. His effort paid off as a four-kilometre illegal oil connection line from the Forcados Terminal into the sea, where for nine years criminals had been siphoning Nigeria’s oil, was discovered.

More discoveries of crude oil theft and illegal pipeline connections have also been made by the NNPC Ltd. working collaboratively with security agencies.

Success achieved in this regard proved pivotal, as Kyari’s efforts have also rekindled investor confidence in the sector. Under his visionary leadership, the NNPC Ltd. has been able to reduce pipeline vandalization and crude oil thefts in the Niger Delta areas. As against the trend, today, Nigeria’s crude oil production has increased to approximately 1.8 million barrels per day (inclusive of condensate).

‘Allah Made Me Grow From Almajiri School Pupil Into NNPCL GCEO’- Kyari Says In 60th Birthday Message is first published on The Whistler Newspaper