By Amin Kef Sesay
The National Petroleum- Sierra Leone Limited, NP (SL-Ltd) is tirelessly working round the clock, engaging oil producing companies in business discussions, to always ensure that supply is continually flowing or maintained. This pro-activeness, on the part of the company, has made it quite possible for stocks to last over periods of time in order to avert the occurrence of shortages.
Interestingly, NP-SL is not a Government entity or appendage; no politician has a share in it, as its shareholders are mere ordinary Sierra Leoneans, starting with 35 of them, who some time ago, bought shares from the Government out of their end of service benefits to establish what today has become a towering entity (NP-SL) to reckon with in the business landscape.
As had been fallaciously propagated by certain ill-motivated persons, who do not mean well for this country, that there are certain politicians that have vested interests in the company, our investigations have proven otherwise.
NP-SL is a 100% indigenous company to the letter and it has weathered various storms that could have dwarfed it or left it to extinct, save for therapeutic intermittent Managerial injections that has kept it upright and on the right course.
Demonstrating its true Sierra Leonean identity, the company has maintained a policy of strictly adhering to the Local Content Policy; ensuring that it has a maximum indigenous staff in its employ. What this actually means is empowering our brothers and sisters to access employment opportunities and reduce poverty.
As a matter of fact, some of its members continue to benefit from various trainings that have afforded them the conduit to imbibe useful skills to efficiently carry out certain tasks. If we are counting the number of companies that have upheld the Local Content Policy, without any iota of doubt, NP-SL could be seen at the top.
This intrinsic nationalistic posture of the company runs through and it is a sine qua non to overall national development. If such a compliance rate should have been followed by other local companies, willingly, without any pressure from the relevant authorities, then indisputably this country should have been miles away in its development trajectory.
Business Management experts have made it abundantly clear that the way and manner, in which customers are cared for in terms of talking to them, making them feel at ease, go a long way in attracting them. Such should be done sincerely in order to make them more important. NP-SL for a very long period now has mastered that art and executing it so well, which definitely is paying dividends.
1st for Customer Care was earned by the company because it has been widely acclaimed by many for solidly executing such.
In its drive to optimize customer satisfaction the company went the extra mile to install calibrated pumping machines, which are not only modern but trustworthy, as opposed to old pumping machines which certain unscrupulous individuals used to cheat unassuming customers.
This is helping to repose confidence in customers that they are dealing with a very transparent entity. The friendliness of their pump attendants is very impressive and they are always there to timely respond to various concerns.
Still within the purview of 1st for Customer Care, the company is always in position to enter into payment plans with its reliable and dependable customers including Ministries, Departments and Agencies for supplied fuel and lubricants, as long as all the necessary modalities have been put in place.
When cognizance is taken of the fact that some of these institutions receive intermittent budgetary allocations, then such an arrangement is very significant. Its significance in real terms borders on functional continuity of those institutions, as they will be assured of supplies of petroleum products in as much as they keep honoring their obligations.
For those who have not tried NP Gas for the first time, it is now time to give it a try. Designed in sizable varying cylinders and sold at various NP Filling Stations, this cooking device has been rated as one of the best that is on offer for sale. NP Gas is safe, user friendly and portable. Trying it will spur you to recommend it to others.
NP Smart Card is now in vogue and is one of the latest technological devices used to purchase petroleum products. Using it has attendant advantages, as evident in procuring fuel at any time of the day even during times when monies could not be accessed from banks. It is secured, easy to use and very quick. It is now trending.
To crystallize proposed projects into tangible realities on the ground, Government needs the required financial resources to effectively do so and one sure way is from collection of taxes, which is the mandate of the National Revenue Authority (NRA). NP is one big tax payer to Government and it has been doing so timely.
NP-SL still yearns for the day to come when all public and private indebted debts will be settled, because it will give the company the requisite financial muscle to continue its pro-active stance in ensuring that quality service delivery is sustained. Again it will be in a very more advantageous position to step up its positive contributions to the socio-economic development of the nation.
