Photo story: Eulogies pour in as Obateru bows out
In what appears to be one of the most superlative performance appraisal reports ever given to any public official leaving office, the retirement of Dr Kennie Obateru from the position of Group General Manager in charge of Group Public Affairs Division of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) came positively with grace, power and fanfare.
Dr Obateru emerged from NNPC as a professional hero after attaining the age of 60, bequeathing the organization a team of well groomed and sophisticated professional public relations and reputation management practitioners who worked with him at different and various stages of his career.
His exit, as testified by colleagues in the division, marked the smoothest transition of leadership in memory; and also leaves behind a new culture of internal cohesion and team spirit in delivering on the mandates of the unit which manages interface with external stakeholders for the NNPC.
Besides leading a team that achieved the best reputation and smooth relationship for NNPC even during turbulent policy shifts and curves as the industry enters global and domestic value transition; Dr Obateru also left an admirable sample of personal and interpersonal traits that lay a distinctive model for achieving success.
It is in appreciation of the quantum value that he generated for the corporation and its stakeholders that colleagues, industry professionals, media executives, friends and family gathered at the Transcorp Hilton on September 24 to appreciate Dr Obateru’s selflessness, patriotism and professionalism in steering back GPAD of NNPC back into focus.
As expected, encomiums and commendation poured in as personalities from all walks of life travelled distances to honour a gentleman who has proved exceptional in galvanizing stakeholders support for the management and operations of NNPC.
Before the Transcorp event, an internal ceremony was hosted at the NNPC Towers for official handover of the reins of the division from Dr Kennie Obateru to Mr Garba Deen Mohammed who expressed much love and appreciation to his departing colleague.
The Oracle Today captured the event in pictures.
