In a sweeping shake-up of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has relieved Mele Kyari of his position as Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) and appointed Engr. Bashir Bayo Ojulari as his successor. Additionally, Ahmadu Musa Kida has been named as the new non-executive chairman of the state-owned oil corporation.
The President also dissolved the NNPCL board, removing all members who were appointed alongside former chairman Pius Akinyelure and Kyari in November 2023. However, Adedapo Segun, who assumed the role of Chief Financial Officer in November 2023 after replacing Umaru Isa Ajiya, has been retained and appointed to the new board.
The reconstituted board includes six non-executive directors, each representing Nigeria’s geopolitical zones. Bello Rabiu will represent the North West, Yusuf Usman the North East, while former Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Managing Director Babs Omotowa will represent the North Central. From the southern regions, President Tinubu has appointed Austin Avuru (South-South), David Ige (South West), and Henry Obih (South East) as non-executive directors. Additionally, Mrs. Lydia Shehu Jafiya, the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Finance, will serve as the ministry’s representative, while Aminu Said Ahmed will represent the Ministry of Petroleum Resources.