According to him, he and ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo thought that nothing positive can come out of NNPCL.
Okupe said this in statement he issued to mark the NNPCL Group Chief Executive Officer, Mele Kyari’s 60th birthday.
He apologized to Kyari for being dismissive of his leadership ability, whilst expressing his admiration for the NNPCL boss remarkable achievement.
According to Kyari, “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.
“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 scepticism 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’s creation.”