Isaac Samuel
Former Edo State Governor and Senator representing Edo North, Adams Oshiomhole, has alleged that the daughter of Senate President Godswill Akpabio secured a position in the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) without going through the company’s established recruitment process.
Oshiomhole made the claim during an appearance on the Mic On Podcast hosted by journalist Seun Okinbaloye, where he addressed controversies surrounding the Senate Committee on Public Accounts’ investigation into the NNPCL and the issuance of a bench warrant against former Group Chief Executive Officer of the company, Mele Kyari.
According to Oshiomhole, Akpabio has a personal interest in issues concerning the NNPCL because his daughter allegedly benefited from an appointment facilitated by Kyari.
The senator said: “Somebody told me that the Senate President’s daughter was taken without, not through a regular interview, not through the normal process, but that is his own problem.”
He maintained that his position was not that relatives of public office holders should be barred from employment opportunities, but that appointments should be based on merit and due process.
“Are the children of senators not Nigerians? 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,” he said.
Oshiomhole further alleged that nepotism had become entrenched in the NNPCL, claiming that past and present leaders of the national oil company had facilitated employment opportunities for family members and associates.
“You guys have turned NNPC to a traditional institution where the son inherits the throne of the father. Past leaders of NNPC have employed their children, uncles, cousins and in-laws into various aspects of NNPC and put them in different positions,” he said.
“If they carry out the payroll of NNPC, you will find that they’ve turned the top level into a family business.”
The former labour leader also defended the Senate Committee on Public Accounts over its decision to issue a bench warrant against Kyari, insisting that the National Assembly possesses constitutional powers to compel individuals to appear before its committees.
He argued that suggestions that the Senate had disowned the warrant were misleading, stressing that legislative committees exercise powers delegated by the Senate.
Oshiomhole’s comments come amid ongoing scrutiny of the NNPCL over allegations of financial irregularities and accountability concerns raised by lawmakers during investigations into the company’s operations under Kyari’s leadership.
