By Tola Ogundipe
Finally, that alchemy of quiet malice, by which evil men and women concoct poisonous news from ordinary trifles, has become the bane of the Group General Manager (GGM) of the National Petroleum Investment Management Services (NAPIMS), Dafe Sejebor’s peace and joy.
As you read, rabble rousers and career liars have gone to town with the hideous rumour that the new MD of NNPC, Dr. Maikanti Kacalla Baru, is planning to sack Dafe from his privileged position as the General manager of the National Petroleum Investment Management Services (NAPIMS).
According to them, Baru is unhappy with Dafe over his alleged complicity in certain shady appointments and financial deals at the NAPIMS. Recently, Dafe was invited to sit before an investigative hearing conducted by the House of Representatives’ Committees on Petroleum (Upstream) and Public Procurement over an alleged $260 million “illegal” contract by NAPIMS, a subsidiary of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).
Findings revealed that instead of ensuring the development of the local content act, a law that opens huge opportunities and favours the participation of Nigerians in the oil and gas industry, Dafe had been denying Nigerians the potential benefits of the local content act. Thus Dafe had allegedly been depriving Nigeria of tangible value and revenue by deliberately delaying the signing the contracts of competent local operators that are connected to the Nigerian joint venture with the international companies (IOCs). Dafe reportedly diverted the opportunities managed by NAPIMS to favour his mediocre cronies who were incompetent to were too incompetent to handle the job.
By engaging in such shady acts, Dafe allegedly acquired stupendous wealth comprising expensive properties in Sugarland Texas, United States (US). He also acquired several exotic automobiles including a Bentley.
While he profited from the shading dealings, many stakeholders in the oil sector reportedly groaned in dissatisfaction but they could not voice their resentment in fear of victimisation by Dafe. Many of them feared that if they protested, Dafe and his lackeys would not sign their contract applications. They are terribly disturbed that Dafe’s unethical behaviour and shameful handling of businesses in NAPIMS, a very strategic arm of the nation’s oil corporation, would undermine the fight against corruption by the incumbent administration.
But while Dafe’s traducers go to town with unpalatable news about him, the latter’s friends and very close underlings have dismissed the claims against him as arrant lies and the product of mischief of men and women who are unsettled by Dafe’s meteoric rise. Whatever the truth is about his recent travails, the Dafe surely needs the grace of God to ride the waves of this current storm in his life to peaceful shores.
