The Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mallam Mele Kyari, has urged the newly recruited Graduate Trainees (GTs) to join hands with other staff in building the corporation to become the National Oil Company (NOC) of choice, urging them to go the extra mile to achieving extraordinary results.

Mallam Kyari made the call Thursday during a virtual platform session with the 1,050 GTs that were newly recruited by the corporation as part of their onboarding programme.

The Federal Government COVID-19 guidelines limited physical contacts necessitating that the onboarding session held virtually.

The GMD charged the newly recruited employees of the corporation to come up with out-of-the-box ideas and help NNPC deliver on its mandate of crude oil exploration, refining, marketing, supplying and distribution of petroleum products as a key enabler of the national economy.

“This is a company you will love to work for. But more than that, you will stay here and build a very fulfilling career. I have been around here for 29 years, and I have enjoyed every moment of it,” Mallam Kyari enthused.

He assured the GTs of top management support, describing them as excellent minds that represent the future of the NNPC, adding that the corporation believed in promoting gender equality.

“From top down of the corporation, gender inclusiveness is reflected”, Mallam Kyari stated.

He urged the newly employed staff to uphold the NNPC core values of respect for the Individual, Integrity, Transparency, Accountability and Professional Excellence, assuring that the corporation was committed to their career growth and development.

Responding on behalf of the Graduate Trainees, Safula Karanga from Gombe State, commended the GMD for the strong leadership he has provided for the corporation through the completion of the recruitment process and the several medical interventions to the 36 states of the Federation to combat the novel Coronavirus pandemic.

Oluwatobi Ayo Yusuf from Lagos thanked the NNPC for the vision of providing a level playing field for all the participants in the recruitment process, describing it as the most fair and transparent recruitment that he has ever participated in in Nigeria.

On his part, Onianwa Vin-Kingsley described the NNPC’s recruitment process as remarkable, urging other private and government institutions to always take a cue from the National Oil Company in order to inspire confidence in Nigerian youths that are the leaders of tomorrow.

Speaking in a similar vein, Onyeulo Ikenna, a first-class graduate of Chemical Engineering, stated that despite the rigorous online application for the NNPC job which almost deterred him from applying, he was impressed that he was employed without knowing any godfather anywhere.

Enyi Ada, from Port Harcourt in Rivers State said her NNPC journey disappointed all her negativity about how recruitment processes were conducted in Nigeria, saying despite Coronavirus pandemic, the NNPC was able to conclude the process seamlessly.

She said: “We are a special people who have been onboarded at a challenging time like this.”

For Bolarinwa Simeon, a Civil Engineer, sounding philosophical, said life was willing to give you whatever you want and noted that the entire NNPC recruitment process was transparent and credible from the computer-based test to the interview.

Suleiman Mahmud said his journey to NNPC was miraculous as he applied on the last day of the submission of application and after receiving his offer of appointment his sick mother recovered from her age long ailment miraculously.

The 1,050 graduate trainees recently recruited by NNPC assumed duty virtually on Monday, May 4, 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic which has limited travels, movements and physical contacts in office settings in line with the federal government’s directives.