FULL LIST: Profile Of New NNPC Board Members

Bashir Bayo Ojulari, Group Chief Executive Officer (l) and Ahmadu Musa Kida, Non-Executive Chairman (r)

FULL LIST: Profile Of New NNPC Board Members

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the reconstitution of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited board, removing the chairman, Chief Pius Akinyelure, and the group chief executive officer, Malam Mele Kyari.

A statement by Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, indicated that the President  removed all other board members appointed with Akinyelure and Kyari in November 2023.

The new 11-man board has Bashir Bayo Ojulari as the Group CEO and Ahmadu Musa Kida as non-executive chairman.

Here’s a profile of the new NNPC Limited board members:

1. Bashir Bayo Ojulari – Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO)

Ojulari, a mechanical engineer and alumnus of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, hails from Kwara State. Before his appointment, he served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Renaissance Africa Energy Company, which led the $2.4 billion acquisition of Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC).

His career includes roles at Elf Aquitaine and Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), where he worked in Nigeria, Europe, and the Middle East in various capacities. In 2015, he became Managing Director of Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCO).

2. Ahmadu Musa Kida – Non-Executive Chairman

Kida, from Borno State, is a civil engineering graduate of Ahmadu Bello University with a postgraduate diploma in petroleum engineering from Institut Francaise du Petrol (IFP), Paris. His career spans roles at Elf Petroleum Nigeria and Total Exploration and Production, where he rose to Deputy Managing Director of Deep Water Services in 2015.

Kida has also served as an Independent Non-Executive Director at Pan Ocean-Newcross Group and is a former President of the Nigerian Basketball Federation (NBBF).

3. Adedapo Segun – Chief Financial Officer (CFO)

Segun previously worked with Chevron as Financial Services Manager before joining NNPC as Group General Manager, Treasury. He also served as Chief Finance and Investor Relations Officer and Executive Vice-President of Downstream.

4. Bello Rabiu (North West)

A former Chief Operating Officer/Group Executive Director, Upstream at NNPC, Rabiu oversaw key subsidiaries, including NAPIMS, NPDC, NETCO, and IDSL. He retired in 2019 after 28 years of service.

5. Yusuf Usman (North East)

With over 30 years of experience, Usman began his career at Shell before joining NNPC in 1993. He played key roles in projects for ExxonMobil, Total, Chevron, and Shell, managing developments in Nigeria, Dubai, France, Greece, South Korea, and the U.S.

6. Babs Omotowa (North Central)

Omotowa, an international energy leader, served as Managing Director/CEO of Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNG) from 2011 to 2016. He was previously Vice-President, Shell Sub-Saharan Africa and later a Special Adviser to Shell Global Upstream Director.

7. Austin Avuru (South-South)

A geologist with over 40 years of experience, Avuru was the pioneer CEO of Seplat, leading the company’s London and Nigerian Stock Exchange listings. He remains a board member at Seplat and has authored books on Nigeria’s petroleum industry.

8. David Ige (South West)

A former Group Executive Director at NNPC, Ige played a major role in developing Nigeria’s Gas Master Plan. His expertise spans exploration, production, and infrastructure development.

9. Henry Obih (South East)

Obih served as Group Executive Director/Chief Operating Officer, Downstream at NNPC before retiring in 2019. He previously spent 22 years at ExxonMobil, holding leadership roles in operations, customer service, and logistics.