THE Chief Corporate Communications Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Olufemi Soneye, has resigned.
This was contained in a statement he shared on his Facebook handle on Saturday, June 21.
In the message, Soneye appreciated the support he received from his colleagues in shaping and promoting the NNPC Ltd brand over the past 20 months.
He explained that his decision to step aside was to enable him to focus more on his family and attend to pressing personal responsibilities.
Soneye described his time at NNPCL as a profound honour, saying it was a privilege to serve the company and the nation while contributing to the ongoing transformation of the organisation.
He expressed gratitude for the trust reposed in him and the chance to work with professionals within and outside the organisation.
Soneye was appointed in October 2023. He replaced Garba Muhammad, who was appointed in August 2021 during a management reshuffle.
His exit comes at a time when the NNPCL is under intense scrutiny and faces growing concerns over a lack of transparency in accounting for the funds it generates. Probes are currently being launched into its alleged shoddy activities by the National Assembly and the nation’s anti-corruption bodies.
The ICIR reported on Thursday, June 19, that the Senate Committee on Public Accounts, during an investigative session with a team from NNPCL, raised concern over the N200 trillion unaccounted funds in the audited financial statements between 2017 and 2023.
Soneye’s exit also follows President Tinubu’s decision to replace Mele Kyari with Bayo Ojulari as the Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of the NNPCL.
Fatimah Quadri is a Journalist and a Fact-checker at The ICIR. She has written news articles, fact-checks, explainers, and media literacy in an effort to combat information disorder.
She can be reached at sunmibola_q on X or fquadri@icirnigeria.org