No fewer than 500 staff of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited have reportedly had their appointments with the company terminated.
This comes after the official unveiling of the new NNPC Ltd last week following a major revamp from a public corporation to a private company as backed by the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA).
It was learnt that the affected staff are mostly those set to retire in 2022, 2023, and 2024.
Those affected have already received a letter terminating their appointments, via email, which contains a ‘mouth-watering’ pay package which also includes an offer to write off loans any affected staff is paying.
According to the report, those affected are entitled to 50 per cent of their salaries until they are expected to serve out their tenure. However, some of the management members of NNPC limited affected have kicked against it, especially some general managers and group general managers.
The group managing director and chief executive of NNPC limited, Mele Kyari, recently said at a town meeting with the staff that “you may accept the package or reject it, but you are advised to take it.”
The affected officials were said to have up to the first week of August to decide. Otherwise, the company may take necessary actions to relieve them of their jobs, and the severance package may elude those who refuse to go.
This decision is not favoured by some of the management staff members who have kicked against it, especially those in the cadre of general managers and group general managers. They were alleged to have said that they want to complete their official tenures, that is, they want to retire when they are 60.
However, sources reportedly said no one will be forced out of the system if they fail to take the advantage of the severance package but they may have themselves to blame afterward.
A portal is said to have been opened online, mandating affected staff to click on acceptance of the severance exercise and the other for the rejection of the letter, whichever way any of the affected officials chooses, by the first week of August, the portal would be closed, according to reports.
