Tinubu appoints Bayo Ojulari as NNPCL CEO, sacks Mele Kyari

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has appointed Bayo Ojulari as the new Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), following the dismissal of Mele Kyari

The announcement was made in a statement issued by Bayo Onanuga, President Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, in the early hours of Wednesday, April 2, 2025.

Before his new appointment, Ojulari served as chairman of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu (BAT) Advisory and Energy Company. He was also the Managing Director of Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCo) from 2015 to 2021, bringing extensive experience in the oil and gas industry to his new role.

Alongside Ojulari’s appointment, several other changes have been made to NNPC Limited’s management. Adedapo Segun, who assumed the role of Chief Financial Officer from Umaru Isa Ajiya in November 2023, has now been included on the new board.

Additionally, six new non-executive directors representing Nigeria’s geopolitical zones have been appointed to the NNPC board. They include Bello Rabiu (North West), Yusuf Usman (North East), and Babs Omotowa, a former Managing Director of the Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG), representing North Central. Others are Austin Avuru (South-South), David Ige (South West), and Henry Obih (South East). Mrs. Lydia Shehu Jafiya, the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Finance, will represent the Ministry of Finance, while Aminu Said Ahmed will represent the Ministry of Petroleum Resources.

This restructuring follows a growing controversy between NNPCL and Dangote Refinery over a failed agreement to sell Nigeria’s crude oil to the refinery in naira, leading to an increase in fuel prices.

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