President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the overhaul of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, removing Mallam Mele Kyari as Group Chief Executive Officer and appointing Engineer Bashir Bayo Ojulari as his replacement. Tinubu also dissolved the NNPC Limited Board, removing Chairman Chief Pius Akinyelure and all board members who had been appointed in November 2023. The changes take effect from Wednesday, April 2, 2025. The President tasked the new leadership with ramping up NNPC’s crude oil refining capacity, setting a target of 200,000 barrels per day by 2027 and an ambitious 500,000 barrels per day by 2030.
President Tinubu cited the need for enhanced operational efficiency, restored investor confidence, and a more commercially viable NNPC as the driving forces behind the decision. Invoking his powers under Section 59(2) of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021, he reconstituted the board with new leadership aimed at repositioning NNPC Limited for greater productivity and alignment with global best practices.
Kyari was first appointed NNPC chief by former President Muhammadu Buhari but was reappointed in 2023 by President Tinubu. In line with the PIA, the president also appointed six non-executive directors from each geopolitical zone. They include Bello Rabiu representing the north-west, Yusuf Usman from the north-east, and Babs Omotowa, a former managing director of the Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG), for the north-central. Others are Austin Avuru for the south-south, David Ige for the south-west, and Henry Obih for the south-east.
Meanwhile, Lydia Shehu Jafiya, the permanent secretary of the federal ministry of finance, and Aminu Said Ahmed of the ministry of petroleum resources will represent their respective ministries on the new board. “This restructuring is aimed at repositioning NNPC Limited for greater productivity and efficiency in line with global best practices. We are taking bold steps to transform the company into a more commercially driven and transparent entity,” the statement reads. The changes take effect immediately, and the new board has been handed a strategic action plan, which includes a “review of NNPC-operated and Joint Venture Assets to ensure alignment with value maximisation objectives”
Past CEOs of NNPC since its inception.
Chief R. A. Marinho July 1977 – April 1980 2. Chief Odiligi Lolomari Apr. 1980 – Aug. 1981 3. Mr. Lawrence Amu Oct 1981 – Nov. 1985 4. Mr. Aret Adams Nov. 1985 – Apr. 1990 5. Dr. Thomas John Apr. 1990 – Jun 1990 6. Mr. Edmund Daukoru Jun. 1992 – Oct. 1993 7. Chief Chamberlain Oyibo Nov. 1993 – Aug 1995 8. Alh. Dalhatu Bayero Aug. 1995 – May 1999 9. Jackson Gaius Obaseki (May 1999- November 2003) 10. Funsho Kupolokun (November 2003 – December 2007) 11. Abubakar Lawal Yar’Adua (August 2007- January 2009) 12. Mohammad Sanusi Barkindo (January 2009- April 2010) 13. Shehu Ladan (April 2010- May 2010) 14. Austine Oniwon (May 2010- June 2012) 15. Andrew Yakubu (June 2012 – August 2014) 16. Joseph Thlama Dawha (August 2014 – August 2015) 17. Ibe Kachikwu (July 2015 – August 2016) 18. Maikanti Baru (August 2016 – June 2019) 19. Mele Kyari (July 2019 – April 2025)
