- President Tinubu announced the removal of Pius Akinyelure and Mele Kyari from the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) leadership
- Bashir Ojulari appointed as NNPCL Group Chief Executive Officer (CEO), effective April 2, 2025
- Ahmadu Kida became the new non-executive chairman of NNPCL
In a major restructuring of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) board, President Bola Tinubu has removed Pius Akinyelure, the chairman, and Mele Kyari, the Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO), of the NNPCL.
Following their removal, Bashir Ojulari was appointed as the new CEO, effective April 2, 2025. This was disclosed by Bayo Onanuga, Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, in a statement released early on Wednesday, April 2.
The statement, titled "President Tinubu Reconstitutes NNPC Limited Board, Appoints New Chairman, Group CEO," announced that all board members appointed alongside Akinyelure and Kyari in November 2023 were also removed.
Tinubu sacks Mele Kyari, others
The newly restructured 11-member board included Engineer Bashir Bayo Ojulari as Group CEO and Ahmadu Musa Kida as the non-executive chairman. Adedapo Segun, who had taken over as the chief financial officer in November 2023, also joined the new board.
The new non-executive directors representing the country’s geopolitical zones are Bello Rabiu from the North West, Yusuf Usman from the North East, and Babs Omotowa, former managing director of the Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG), for the North Central.
Austin Avuru was appointed from the South-South, David Ige from the South West, and Henry Obih from the South East. Mrs. Lydia Shehu Jafiya, the permanent secretary of the Federal Ministry of Finance, will represent the ministry, while Aminu Ahmed will represent the Ministry of Petroleum Resources.
All of the new appointments took effect on April 2. Tinubu, invoking his powers under Section 59, Subsection 2 of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021, noted the significance of the board’s restructuring in enhancing operational efficiency, stimulating economic growth, and driving the advancement of gas commercialisation and diversification.
He also instructed the new board to conduct a strategic portfolio review of NNPC-operated and joint venture assets to align with value maximisation goals.
Ahmadu Kida emerges new NNPCL chairman
Since 2023, the Tinubu administration has implemented reforms in the oil sector. Onanuga revealed that NNPCL attracted $17 billion in new investments in 2024, with plans to boost this amount to $30 billion by 2027 and $60 billion by 2030.
Additionally, the administration aimed to increase oil production to two million barrels per day by 2027 and three million by 2030, while also boosting gas production to 8 billion cubic feet daily by 2027 and 10 billion by 2030. Also, the government targets refining 200,000 barrels per day of crude oil by 2027 and 500,000 by 2030.
Ahmadu Kida, the new chairman, hails from Borno State. He holds a degree in civil engineering from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, and a postgraduate diploma in petroleum engineering from the Institut Francais du Petrol in Paris.
Kida’s career began at Elf Petroleum Nigeria and later at Total Exploration and Production. He became the Deputy Managing Director of Total Nigeria’s Deep Water Services in 2015 and joined Pan Ocean-Newcross Group as an Independent Non-Executive Director in 2024.
Aside from his oil industry career, Kida is a former basketball player and served as President of the Nigerian Basketball Federation.
New NNPCL CEO is Bashir Ojulari
Bashir Ojulari, the new Group CEO, comes from Kwara State. Before his appointment, he served as the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Renaissance Africa Energy Company. His company led a consortium of Nigerian firms in acquiring Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria for $2.4 billion.
Ojulari, like Kida, is an alumnus of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, where he studied Mechanical Engineering. He began his career at Elf Aquitaine and later joined Shell Petroleum Development Company in 1991. In 2015, Ojulari became Managing Director of Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company.
He has also held leadership positions in the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) Nigerian Council and is a fellow of the Nigerian Society of Engineers.
“President Tinubu thanked the old board members for their dedicated service to NNPC Limited, particularly their efforts in rehabilitating the old Port Harcourt and Warri refineries, which enabled them to resume petroleum product production after prolonged shutdowns,” the statement read.
Since its creation in 1977, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) has been led by various Group Managing Directors (GMDs) and Group Chief Executive Officers (GCEOs), each contributing to shaping the country’s oil and gas industry.
All NNPCL leadership from 1977 to present
TheRadar compiled the list of NNPCL leadership from inception to the present below:
1. R. A. Marinho (July 1977 – April 1980)
2. Odiligi Lolomari (April 1980 – August 1981)
3. Lawrence Amu (October 1981 – November 1985)
4. Aret Adams (November 1985 – April 1990)
5. Dr Thomas John (April 1990 – June 1990)
6. Edmund Daukoru (June 1992 – October 1993)
7. Chamberlin Oyibo (November 1993 – August 1995)
8. Dalhatu Bayero (August 1995 – May 1999)
9. Dr Jackson Gaius-Obaseki (May 1999 – November 2003)
10. Funsho Kupolokun (November 2003 – September 2007)
11. Abubakar Lawal Yar’Adua (September 2007 – January 2009)
12. Mohammed Sanusi Barkindo (January 2009 – April 2010)
13. Shehu Ladan (April 2010 – May 2010)
14. Augustine O. Oniwon (May 2010 – June 2012)
15. Andrew Yakubu (June 2012 – August 2014)
16. Dr Joseph Thlama Dawha (August 2014 – August 2015)
17. Dr Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu (August 2015 – July 2016)
18. Dr Maikanti Kachalla Baru (July 2016 – July 2019)
19. Mele Kolo Kyari (July 2019 – April 2025)
20. Bashir Bayo Ojulari (April 2025 – Present)
Mele Kyari seeks 4-month extension amid political intrigue, uncertainty over tenure
Meanwhile, TheRadar earlier reported that NNPCL CEO Mele Kyari sought a four-month extension of his tenure amidst political intrigue and discussions about potential replacements.
According to the report, significant achievements in restructuring NNPCL marked Kyari's tenure, but questions about his future came as President Tinubu deliberated on the extension request.