The Traffic

Tinubu Shakes Up NNPC Leadership: Mele Kyari Out, Bayo Ojulari Takes Over

By Achimi Muktar

In a bold move to revamp Nigeria’s oil sector, President Bola Tinubu has fired Mele Kyari as the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, replacing him with Engineer Bashir Bayo Ojulari.

This sweeping shake-up, announced on April 2, 2025, by presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga, also saw the removal of NNPC Board Chairman, Chief Pius Akinyelure, and the entire board appointed in November 2023. The new leadership is expected to steer the national oil giant toward greater efficiency, attract fresh investments, and accelerate Nigeria’s oil and gas ambitions.

The New NNPC Power Players

The reconstituted 11-man board is led by:
✅ Bashir Bayo Ojulari – Group CEO
✅ Ahmadu Musa Kida – Non-Executive Chairman
✅ Adedapo Segun – Chief Financial Officer

In addition, six new non-executive directors have been appointed to represent Nigeria’s geopolitical zones:

Bello Rabiu (North West)

Yusuf Usman (North East)

Babs Omotowa (North Central)

Austin Avuru (South-South)

David Ige (South West)

Henry Obih (South East)

Other key appointees include Mrs. Lydia Shehu Jafiya, representing the Federal Ministry of Finance, and Aminu Said Ahmed, representing the Ministry of Petroleum Resources.

All appointments take effect immediately.

Why the Shake-Up?

President Tinubu invoked Section 59(2) of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021 to justify the overhaul, emphasizing the need to:

✔ Improve operational efficiency
✔ Restore investor confidence
✔ Boost local content in the oil industry
✔ Drive economic growth
✔ Accelerate gas commercialization and diversification

A Massive Overhaul for Big Oil Goals

The Tinubu administration has been aggressively reforming Nigeria’s oil sector to attract investment. In 2023 alone, the NNPC secured $17 billion in new investments. The new leadership has been tasked with pushing that figure to $30 billion by 2027 and $60 billion by 2030.

Additionally, Nigeria aims to:
➡ Increase oil production to 2 million barrels per day by 2027 and 3 million by 2030
➡ Boost gas production to 8 billion cubic feet per day by 2027 and 10 billion by 2030
➡ Expand NNPC’s crude oil refining capacity to 200,000 barrels per day by 2027 and 500,000 barrels by 2030

The Mandate for the New Board

Beyond attracting investments, the newly appointed NNPC board has been given a clear directive to conduct a strategic portfolio review of all NNPC-operated and Joint Venture assets. This move aims to align the company’s operations with value maximization goals.

A New Era for NNPC?

With the appointment of Ahmadu Musa Kida—a seasoned engineer with expertise in petroleum engineering—as board chairman, and the fresh leadership of Bayo Ojulari, the Tinubu administration is betting on a transformative shift for Nigeria’s oil industry.

Will this shake-up bring the long-promised efficiency and transparency to NNPC, or is it just another high-profile political reshuffle? Only time will tell.