By Sarah NEGEDU
Following the expiration of the 24-hour ultimatum issued by aggrieved staff of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, NUPRC, the workers are now calling for the immediate removal of the Chief Executive of the commission, Engr. Gbenga Komolafe over alleged fraud and abuse of office.
The workers on Wednesday, in their numbers, barricaded the main entrance to the NUPRC complex in Abuja with a casket bearing ‘RIP Fraud’ and chanting “Komolafe must go.”
They accused the NUPRC boss of deliberately reframing from opening channels of communication to address issues of mismanagement and poor employees welfare, all through the two years of his stewardship.
The former Department of Petroleum Resources, DPR, staff called on President Bola Tinubu to sack Komolafe or order him to resign, to pave way for an urgent forensic audit of all contract processes and payments by the commission under his watch.
National Treasurer, Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria, PENGASSAN, Comrade Owan David, who joined the protest, reiterated that despite effort to resolve burning issues threatening the wellbeing of the Commission, the Komolafe led NUPRC paid a deaf ear to them, leaving the staff union with no option, other than peaceful protest to register their grievances.
He however, warned that if nothing was done to address the situation, workers through the instrumentality of the union will not hesitate to withdraw from their duty posts nationwide, and mobilize to join the protest in Abuja, until the authorities take necessary action to save the commission from total collapse.
Earlier, branch Chairman of the NUPRC workers’ union, Comrade Okechukwu Anya, stated that the management instead of urgently engaging and addressing their grievances, had resorted to intimidating the staff union leaders for speaking up and asking for improved working conditions at the commission.
Anya, alleged that NUPRC under Komolafe, has plunged deep into corruption, staff neglect, and gross mismanagement of its funds.
He added that appalling neglect of staff welfare is highlighted by the commission’s inability to cover medical services for staff due to heavy unpaid debts, non-payment of statutory group life insurance and pension claims, and chronic underpayment of staff entitlements.
According to him, the NUPRC has been turned into a hotbed of favouritism and patronage, with the recruitment of over 140 individuals, without proper procedures and in violation of the Federal Public Service rules and the Federal Character Commission’s policies on equal opportunities.
The union outlined alleged fraudulent activities of the NUPRC boss, part of which claims that, “Despite the commission’s technical mandate, Gbenga and his cronies have wasted a staggering N900 million on dubious ‘sensitization workshops’, a further N500 million on office renovations and furniture procurement, and an unconscionable N1.5 billion on luxury transportation including private jet travel and first-class flights, in violation of presidential directives.
“In addition to these issues, the NUPRC under Gbenga is mired in infrastructural deficiencies and a decline in crude oil production, plunging from a daily production of 1.672M bopd in 2021 to a worrying average of 1.452M bopd. This decline speaks volumes about the mismanagement and incompetence of the NUPRC under Gbenga’s leadership.
“This report represents the latest in a long line of scandals tied to the leadership of Engr. Komolafe Gbenga. It is high time for thorough scrutiny, forensic audit of the Commission and decisive action to end these outrageous abuses of power. The employees of the NUPRC and the people of Nigeria deserve better. The question that remains: will the authorities take action?”.
When contacted for reaction, Head, Public Affairs Unit, PAU, of the commission, Adamu Garba, declined commenting on the matter, stating that he was on leave.
Garba, when pressed to comment, insisted that he was not in the know of the development, stressing that he had embarked on the leave for about a month.
He, however referred this correspondent to NUPRC’s deputy head of Public Affairs, Carol Chika, whom he claims should be in a better position to react to such queries.
The Head of Public Affairs, as of the time of filling this report, failed to provide his deputy’s contact.