TheCable

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited says it is not planning to lay off its staff due to the recent transition. 

A week ago, President Muhammadu Buhari unveiled the NNPC Limited, positioning it to operate as a profit-oriented company.

Following the transition, reports emerged that the company would sack some of its employees as part of the transformation. 

A top source also told TheCable that the company had offered some staff exit packages for voluntary retirement.

In a statement on Tuesday, Garba Deen Muhammad, NNPC’s spokesperson, said the company is not planning to sack its workers.

“NNPC Limited has not, and is not planning to, lay off a single staff as a result of its recent transition from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to NNPC Limited,” the statement reads. 

“The Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021 is very clear that no staff will lose his/her job or earn less than what they earn before the transition.” 

Last Tuesday, Mele Kyari, group chief executive officer (GCEO) of the company, also assured that the company would not sack any of its 7,000 workers, emphasising that the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) did not prescribe such a measure.

“We do not have a bloated workforce. Today, the company’s workers population is just 7,000. I believe with the expansion, we have a line of sight, we are going to hire more people to work for us,” Kyari had said.