The management of the Dutch oil firm, Shell Petroleum Development Company, has reacted to the report on the on-going re-organisation in the company.
SPDC�s spokesman, Mr. Precious Okolobo, in an e- mail on Sunday, sent to our correspondent said re-organisation was a normal business practice globally.
The Punch, on Friday, exclusively reported that Nigeria had lost the control of the management of the Dutch oil firm in view of the directive to the company�s Country Chairman and Managing Director, Mr. Basil Omiyi, a Nigerian, to hand over the affairs of the oil multinational to his deputy, Mr. Dale Rollins, a Briton, by the end of November.
Our correspondent gathered that SPDC�s headquarters in The Hague, Netherland, authourised the elevation of Rollins as the substantive helmsman of the oil firm.
Although Omiyi remains the Country Chaiman, he was stripped of major roles in the day-to-day administration of the company under the new arrangement.
Okolobo, in the e- mail, however, said it was premature to speculate on the details of the re-organisation aimed at re-positioning the oil major for optimal operation.
He added, �We can confirm that Mr. Basil Omiyi is the Managing Director of Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Ltd., and Country Chair of Shell Companies in Nigeria. As in any large international company, succession planning of senior leaders is a normal part of everyday business. However, it is our policy not to comment on such planning and speculations around it and only to make announcements at the appropriate time.
�Also, Shell continues to examine its business processes to add more value to its systems and deliver better returns to shareholders and stakeholders. The Human Resources and Supply Chain departments in SPDC and SNEPCo continue to function as normal.�