President Muhammadu Buhari recently reconstituted the board of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, replacing Dr. Ibe Kachikwu as the group Managing Director of the NNPC, with Maikanti Baru.
It was learnt that Kachikwu had to give way because it was “not normal” for a person to hold two strategic positions; Minister of state for Petroleum Resources and Group Managing Director of NNPC, according to Today.ng.
“It was an anomaly and supposed to be a temporary arrangement. It was not supposed have lasted that long.
“In addition, he brought private sector initiatives into a largely conservative and bureaucratic system. Normally, reforms will be resisted by those used to the old system. But one of the things he didn’t do well was not carrying the people along.
“There was a lot of disenchantment in the system because of the sweeping reforms Kachikwu tried to introduce,” a source said
The source also disclosed that Kachikwu implemented too many changes in a short period of time, not leaving room for NNPC staffs to adjust.
“He ought to have been a bit gradual in introducing those reforms, but he was working on timelines that were too fast for the system.
“He was in a hurry because he knew that he was not supposed to occupy those two positions for a long time,” the source said.