by Ola Williams-
In a sweeping overhaul of Nigeria’s oil industry, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has dismissed the leadership of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), replacing Mele Kyari as Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) and dissolving the board.
Engineer Bashir Bayo Ojulari, a seasoned oil and gas expert with over three decades of industry experience, takes the helm as GCEO. His appointment signals a strategic push for technical expertise and operational efficiency at NNPCL.
Alongside this leadership shake-up, Ahmadu Musa Kida has been appointed non-executive chairman, succeeding Pius Akinyelure. Kida, with a distinguished career at TotalEnergies, aligns with Tinubu’s vision of a commercially viable and performance-driven NNPCL.
The restructuring extends beyond top leadership, with a newly formed 11-member board featuring regional representatives:
- North-West: Bello Rabiu
- North-East: Yusuf Usman
- North-Central: Babs Omotowa (former NLNG MD)
- South-South: Austin Avuru
- South-West: David Ige
- South-East: Henry Obih
Adedapo Segun retains his role as Chief Financial Officer (CFO), while Finance and Petroleum Ministry representatives ensure government oversight.
Tinubu’s reforms aim to restore investor confidence and reposition NNPCL as a transparent, commercially driven entity capable of boosting crude production and reducing reliance on fuel imports.
While industry players welcome the shake-up, analysts caution that success will hinge on the new leadership’s ability to tackle persistent challenges like oil theft, refining inefficiencies, and regulatory bottlenecks. The spotlight is now on Ojulari and his team as they navigate this critical transformation.
