Breaking: President Tinubu Sack Mele Kyari, Appoints Bayo Ojulari as New NNPC Group CEO

President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday removed Mele Kyari as the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited and appointed Bashir Bayo Ojulari as his replacement, effective April 2, 2025.

The President also dissolved the company’s board, including its chairman, Pius Akinyelure, and reconstituted an 11-member board.

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

“President Tinubu removed all other board members appointed with Akinyelure and Kyari in November 2023,” the statement read.

Ojulari, the new NNPCL CEO, will lead the company alongside Ahmadu Musa Kida, who has been appointed as the non-executive chairman.

Also joining the board is Adedapo Segun, who replaced Umaru Ajiya as Chief Financial Officer last November and has now been confirmed as a board member.

Six non-executive directors were appointed to represent the country’s geopolitical zones.

These 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.

“President Tinubu also appointed Austin Avuru as a non-executive director from the South-South, David Ige as a Non-executive director from the South West, and Henry Obih as a non-executive director from the South East.

“Mrs Lydia Shehu Jafiya, permanent secretary of the Federal Ministry of Finance, will represent the ministry on the new board, while Aminu Ahmed will represent the Ministry of Petroleum Resources,” Onanuga stated.

History of NNPCL MD/CEOs since inception

Since its establishment in 1977, NNPC/NNPCL has been led by several Group Managing Directors (GMDs) and later, Group Chief Executive Officers (GCEOs), each playing a significant role in shaping Nigeria’s oil and gas industry.

NNPCL’s Leadership From Inception To Date:

R. A. Marinho (July 1977 – April 1980)

Odiligi Lolomari (April 1980 – August 1981)

Lawrence Amu (October 1981 – November 1985)

Mr. Aret Adams (November 1985 – April 1990)

Dr. Thomas John (April 1990 – June 1990)

Mr. Edmund Daukoru (June 1992 – October 1993)

Chamberlin Oyibo (November 1993 – August 1995)

Dalhatu Bayero (August 1995 – May 1999)

Dr. Jackson Gaius-Obaseki (May 1999 – November 2003)

Funsho Kupolokun (November 2003 – September 2007)

Abubakar Lawal Yar’Adua (September 2007 – January 2009)

Mohammed Sanusi Barkindo (January 2009 – April 2010)

Shehu Ladan (April 2010 – May 2010)

Augustine O. Oniwon (May 2010 – June 2012)

Andrew Yakubu (June 2012 – August 2014)

Dr. Joseph Thlama Dawha (August 2014 – August 2015)

Dr. Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu (August 2015 – July 2016)

Dr. Maikanti Kachalla Baru (July 2016 – July 2019)

Mele Kolo Kyari (July 2019 – April 2025)

Bashir Bayo Ojulari (April 2025 – Present

Who is Bashir Bayo Ojulari

Bayo Bashir Ojulari, the newly appointed Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC), is a seasoned Nigerian engineer with expertise in petroleum, process, and production engineering.

Before his new appointment, He was Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Renaissance Africa Energy Company. His Renaissance recently led a consortium of indigenous energy firms in the landmark acquisition of the entire equity holding in the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC), worth $2.4 billion.

He began his career as the first Nigerian process engineer at Elf Aquitaine before joining Shell Petroleum Development Company in 1991.

A native of Kwara State, Ojulari served as the Managing Director of Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCo) from 2015 to 2021.

An alumnus of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, (Mechanical Engineering 1985 – 1989) .

A fellow of the Nigerian Society of Engineers, he was a member of the board of trustees of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE Nigeria Council) from 1998 to 1999.

Throughout his career, he has held managerial roles in Europe and the Middle East, specializing in petroleum engineering, process engineering, production engineering, and health and safety.

In November 2015, Ojulari was appointed Managing Director of SNEPCo and General Manager, Deepwater.

He also served on the board of Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), overseeing onshore and offshore petroleum engineering, technical integration of development, well engineering, and project engineering.

Apart from working in Nigeria, he worked in Europe and the Middle East in different capacities as a petroleum process and production engineer, strategic planner, field developer, and asset manager.