By Chika Amanze-Nwachuku
Dr. Kennie Obateru, the Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division (GGM GPAD), Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) is retiring from the Corporation after a long and successful career.
He has clocked the mandatory retirement age of 60 and Friday, September 24, his birthday, would be his last day on the job.
Expectedly, his family, colleagues and friends will come together tomorrow to celebrate his three decades of exemplary career in the NNPC at an event where there will be a lot of accolades tinged with sadness at the departure of a PR guru for whom everyone had great affection and respect.
Dr. Kennie will officially hand over to his successor, Mr. Garba Deen Muhammad, another experienced hand, who was a former president of Nigerian Guild of Editors.
As a mouthpiece for an organisation that, by its nature, was subject to a great deal of public and media scrutiny, Obateru, a seasoned professional, worked relentlessly to promote NNPC brand.
Prior to his appointment at the helm of NNPC GPAD, the relationship between the Corporation and the media was nothing to write home about. It could only be likened to a cat and mouse relationship with the Corporation always at the receiving end.
Also, getting clarifications or official comments on issues around the Corporation’s activities was herculean. But all that changed with Obateru’s appointment.
His response to media inquiries was timely.
A consummate professional, Obateru possesses the experience, training and qualifications and he brought them to bear in the discharge of his duties.
His handling of thorny media inquiries over issues around the Corporation’s activities particularly- crude oil sales, refineries operations, fuel importation and subsidy, pipeline rupture among others, was unparalleled.
Kennie never backed away from explaining issues pertaining to the Corporation’s activities the best anyone could.
He was accessible, credible, quotable and likeable. All of these are very important traits of an image maker of an organisation such as the NNPC. Indeed those traits served him and the Corporation well and accounted for the goodwill the NNPC enjoyed during his time at the GPAD.
A gentleman, but firm, fair and consistent, Dr Kennie would be missed by the media and his colleagues who benefitted from his magnanimity and wealth of experience.
An accomplished public and media Relations expert, Dr. Kennie Obateru is an epitome of humility and competence. His team at the GPAD was indeed fortunate to have had the privileged of sharing his expertise, work ethic and commitment.
His exemplary leadership and commitment to duties earned him great respect, affection and accolades too many to mention.
Recently, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina describesd him as “an accomplished professional in the field of Public Relations.”
Dr. Kennie Obateru is leaving a remarkable legacy behind and one which will remain with the NNPC for decades to come.
More importantly, he is living the GPAD and by extension the NNPC a better place than he found it and that will remain a lasting tribute to his professionalism.
Congratulations on a wonderful career. We wish you nothing but the very best for this new chapter in your life.
Dr Kennie Obateru joined the NNPC in 1991 as protocol/consular officer at the Public Affairs Department of the Corporation.
He was at different times the Deputy Manager, Media Relations, Group Public Affairs Division (GPAD), Manager, Media Relations, GPAD, Manager, Public Affairs, Port Harcourt Refinery, Manager, Public Affairs, NAPIMS-NNPC and also General Manager/Head NNPC London Office, prior to his assumption of office as the Group General Manager, GPAD in March 2020.
He was a Fellow of both the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, NIPR, and the Institute of Management Consultants. Obateru brought a change to the communications and reputation strategies for the NNPC, Nigeria’s major revenue earner, building a high-responsive and effective two-way communications and public relations division, composed of highly resourceful staff members across a broad portfolio of communications units, including social media, web publishing, visual arts, internal communications, media relations and executive communications.
An alumnus of many prestigious institutions locally and overseas, including the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Lagos; University of Ilorin and University of Stirling, Scotland, United Kingdom, where he respectively obtained a Certificate in News Reporting, a B.A. (Hons) Performing Arts and M.Sc. in Public Relations.
An alumnus of many prestigious institutions locally and overseas, including the Nigerian Institute of Journalism, Lagos; University of Ilorin and University of Stirling, Scotland, United Kingdom, where he respectively obtained a Certificate in News Reporting, a B.A. (Hons) Performing Arts and M.Sc. in Public Relations.
Dr Obateru is also a member of the International Public Relations Association and a senior member of the Africa Public Relations Association as well as a member of the Nigeria Institute of Management, NIM.
He was appointed Editor, NNPC News, a monthly publication of the Group Public Affairs Division from 1998 to 2000.
Between1993 and1998, Dr. Obateru served at least two Ministers of Petroleum Resources, as a Protocol and Consular Officer between 1992 and1993.
He joined the doctoral club of eggheads in 2012 when he was awarded a Doctorate Degree in Management (Honoris Causa) by the Commonwealth University, Belize.