{"id":21839,"date":"2025-01-08T17:09:49","date_gmt":"2025-01-08T17:09:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theblogonline.com\/?p=21839"},"modified":"2025-01-08T17:11:19","modified_gmt":"2025-01-08T17:11:19","slug":"mele-kyari-at-60-doyin-okupe-apologizes-praises-nnpcl-gceos-leadership","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theblogonline.com\/?p=21839","title":{"rendered":"Mele Kyari at 60: Doyin Okupe Apologizes, Praises NNPCL GCEO\u2019s Leadership"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"p1\">In an unexpected and heartfelt statement, Dr. Doyin Okupe, former Senior Special Assistant on Public Affairs to President Olusegun Obasanjo, has issued a public apology to Mr. Mele Kyari, the Group Chief Executive Officer of the <a href=\"https:\/\/nnpcgroup.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited<\/a> (NNPCL), for his past criticisms of the corporation and its leadership.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s2\">The apology was delivered in a statement celebrating Mr. Kyari\u2019s 60th birthday and lauding his achievements in transforming Nigeria\u2019s oil and gas sector.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s2\">Dr. Okupe, who once shared the skepticism of his former boss, President Olusegun Obasanjo, regarding the NNPCL\u2019s capacity for reform, admitted to having dismissed the idea of the corporation making any meaningful impact. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s2\">\u201cIt is no secret that I, along with many others, was once a vocal critic of <a href=\"https:\/\/nnpcgroup.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">NNPCL<\/a> and its leadership. I openly expressed skepticism over its ability to deliver on its promises and was, at that time, dismissive of Mr. Mele Kyari\u2019s leadership,\u201d he stated.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s2\">However, Okupe acknowledged that Kyari\u2019s achievements have exceeded expectations and reshaped his opinion. He pointed to the revival of Nigeria\u2019s refineries, the revitalization of critical infrastructure, and the reduction in the price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) as key accomplishments under Kyari\u2019s leadership.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s2\">\u201cOver the past few years, I have watched with astonishment as NNPCL has made tangible strides in transforming Nigeria\u2019s oil and gas sector. Particularly commendable is the significant downward trend in the price of PMS at the pumps, which is a direct result of NNPCL\u2019s strategic initiatives and commitment to improving the petroleum sector for the benefit of the Nigerian people,\u201d Okupe noted.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s2\">The former presidential aide described Kyari as a leader who has not only earned the respect of his peers but also turned former critics into supporters. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s2\">He extended his congratulations to Kyari on his milestone birthday, praying for continued wisdom and strength for the oil sector leader.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s2\">\u201cAs you mark your 60th birthday, I seize the opportunity to offer my heartfelt congratulations. Your dedication, leadership, and achievements have not only earned the respect of your peers, but have also turned former critics like myself into proud supporters of the work you continue to do,\u201d Okupe added.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s2\">Okupe expressed hope that Kyari\u2019s ongoing efforts would continue to alleviate the economic burdens faced by Nigerians and foster a more prosperous future for the nation.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s2\">_________________________________________<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s2\"><b>Press Statement by Dr. Doyin Okupe<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s2\"><b>Title: My Apology to Mele Kyari<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s2\">I write today with a deep sense of humility and genuine admiration for the remarkable achievements of Mr. Mele Kyari, the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL), as he marks his 60th birthday.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s2\">It is no secret that I, along with many others, was once a vocal critic of NNPCL and its leadership. In fact, like my former boss, President Olusegun Obasanjo, I shared the belief that nothing positive could come from the NNPCL, and I openly expressed skepticism over its ability to deliver on its promises. I was, at that time, dismissive of the leadership of Mr. Mele Kyari, and I even laughed at the very idea of NNPCL&#8217;s creation.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s2\">However, the remarkable and multi-dimensional achievements of Mr. Kyari and his management team have truly reshaped my perspective. Over the past few years, I have watched with astonishment as NNPCL has made tangible strides in transforming Nigeria&#8217;s oil and gas sector. The revival of our refineries, the revitalization of critical infrastructure, and the efforts to tackle the petroleum industry\u2019s long-standing issues have defied all expectations.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s2\">Particularly commendable is the significant downward trend in the price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) at the pumps, which is a direct result of NNPCL\u2019s strategic initiatives and commitment to improving the petroleum sector for the benefit of the Nigerian people. This development is already easing some of the economic burdens Nigerians have been grappling with, and it deserves widespread commendation.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s2\">On this occasion of Mr. Mele Kyari\u2019s 60th birthday, I seize the opportunity to offer my heartfelt congratulations. Your dedication, leadership, and achievements have not only earned the respect of your peers, but have also turned former critics like myself into proud supporters of the work you continue to do.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s2\">I pray that the Almighty God blesses you with continued wisdom, strength, and success as you press forward in your mission to ensure a more prosperous future for Nigeria. May your efforts continue to help alleviate the hardships of Nigerians, particularly by further reducing the cost of PMS, and may you be richly rewarded for your service to the nation.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s2\">Congratulations once again, Mr. Mele Kyari.<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s2\">Dr. Doyin Okupe<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s2\">Former Presidential Spokesman<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In an unexpected and heartfelt statement, Dr. Doyin Okupe, former Senior Special Assistant on Public Affairs to President Olusegun Obasanjo, has issued a public apology to Mr. Mele Kyari, the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Limited (NNPCL), for his past criticisms of the corporation and its leadership.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":21840,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[81,9993,1071,9117,9118,9988],"class_list":["post-21839","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-metro","tag-doyin-okupe","tag-gceo","tag-leadership","tag-mele-kyari","tag-nnpcl","tag-nnpcl-boss"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/theblogonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21839"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/theblogonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/theblogonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theblogonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theblogonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=21839"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/theblogonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21839\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21843,"href":"https:\/\/theblogonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21839\/revisions\/21843"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theblogonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/21840"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/theblogonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=21839"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theblogonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=21839"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theblogonline.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=21839"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}