Get to know the new NNPC of the Bashir Ojulari era
The Mallam Mele Kolo Kyari NNPCL Group Chief Executive Officer era had been on since 7 July 2019, and there had been calls that he should be replaced.
As soon as the Eid al Fitr 2025 holiday came to a close yesterday, hardly a moment was spared by President Bola Tinubu before he got his country to the exceptional active state it was before the solemn Ramadan festival began its course in early March, so is that what a newly-appointed 11-man board at the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited would have helped to achieve when eventually taking stock?
Early morning on Wednesday, 2 April 2025, an announcement regarding the sacking of the old NNPC board previously led by Mallam Mele Kolo Kyari had come through a press statement issued by Bayo Onanuga, a Special Adviser to the President on Information & Strategy matters.
The statement posted around 3 a.m., while the darkness of dusk was still on, revealed that instead of Mallam Kyari, Engineer Bashir Bayo Ojulari is now the Group Chief Executive Officer, and Ahmadu Musa Kida will be the non-executive chairman.
Adedapo Segun, who replaced Umaru Isa Ajiya as the chief financial officer of the NNPCL last November, the release adds, has been appointed to the new board, which leads to questions about the not-too-surprising tweak orchestrated by the presidency – why did it happen?
The Mallam Mele Kolo Kyari NNPCL era had been on since 7 July 2019, and there had been calls that he should be replaced. A cry for his immediate replacement grew loudest during the premium motor spirit scarcity of August to September 2024, although by the end of that same year, it would seem that the befuddling yuletide-era shortages, which households experience annually, had been overcome.
It would be thanks to Mallam Kyari, making sure that some of the crude oil refineries owned by the federal government were no longer in a moribund state.
Revving up the engine
According to President Bola Tinubu, explaining reasons for making changes in the heart of the nationally-owned oil and gas company, NNPCL, since 2023, the year he assumed office, his administration has implemented oil sector reforms to attract investment.
Through those reforms, NNPC reported $17billion in new investments within the sector. Now, the administration envisions increasing the investment to $30billion by 2027 and $60billion by 2030.
Although the Bola Tinubu government comes under criticism often, like the past administrations before his, what sets the old apart from the new is the unrelenting ambition. This is why the incumbent, according to his Information and Strategy special adviser, targets raising oil production to two million barrels daily by 2027 and three million daily by 2030.
Concurrently, the government wants gas production jacked to 8 billion cubic feet daily by 2027 and 10 billion cubic feet by the end of the decade.
Mr. Bayo Onanuga said that the president expects the new board to elevate NNPC’s share of crude oil refining output to 200,000 barrels by 2027 and reach 500,000 by 2030.
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Making all these projections a reality goes hand-in-hand with meeting the demand in the federal character of Nigeria, which considers representations emerging from the six geopolitical zones in the country.
This has brought about six non-executive directors listed in the 11-man board. On the list are Bello Rabiu (North West), Yusuf Usman (North East), and Babs Omotowa, a former managing director of the Nigerian Liquified Natural Gas (NLNG) for the North Central.
Federal character isn’t complete without non-executive director Austin Avuru from the South-South, David Ige from the South West, and Henry Obih, the final piece on the board under the South East banner.
According to the president, invoking the powers granted under Section 59, subsection 2 of the Petroleum Industry Act, 2021, all the appointments take effect immediately on Wednesday, 2 April 2025.
To add to his reasons for the changes, Mr. Tinubu emphasised that the board’s restructuring is crucial for enhancing operational efficiency, restoring investor confidence, boosting local content, driving economic growth, and advancing gas commercialisation and diversification.
Know the key officers
The newly appointed 11-man board of Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited indeed seems primed to drive Nigeria’s energy sector back into an active state following the Ramadan festival.
According to the press statement by Bayo Onanuga, here’s an overview of the accomplishments of key members.
Ahmadu Musa Kida
The new chairman of the board is from Borno State, Kida boasts an academic background in civil engineering from Ahmadu Bello University, along with a postgraduate diploma in petroleum engineering from the Institut Français du Pétrole, Paris.
His career includes pioneering roles at Elf Petroleum Nigeria and Total Exploration and Production, where he rose to Deputy Managing Director of Deep Water Services in 2015.
In 2024, he served as an Independent Non-Executive Director at Pan Ocean-Newcross Group.
Outside the oil sector, Kida’s leadership extended to sports as a former basketball player and the President of the Nigerian Basketball Federation (NBBF).
Bayo OjulariHere is the new Group CEO of NNPC Limited, who hails from Kwara State, Ojulari and graduated in the Mechanical Engineering field from Ahmadu Bello University.
His career started with Elf Aquitaine, where he became the first Nigerian process engineer, later moving to Shell Petroleum Development Company in 1991.
He held diverse roles in Europe, the Middle East, and Nigeria, including as strategic planner, field developer, and asset manager.
In 2015, Ojulari became Managing Director of Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCO).
Most recently, his leadership at Renaissance Africa Energy Company saw him lead a consortium in acquiring Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC) in a $2.4billion landmark deal.
President Tinubu acknowledged the efforts of the previous board in restoring operations at the Port Harcourt and Warri refineries, wishing them well as their tenure ends. The new board members bring a wealth of experience, leadership, and vision, promising potential progress in bolstering Nigeria’s energy sector.
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Ayodelé is a Lagos-based journalist and the Content and Editorial Coordinator at Meiza. All around the megacity, I am steering diverse lifestyle magazine audiences with ingenious hacks and insights that spur fast, informed decisions in their busy lives.
