Nigeria’s President who is also the country’s Petroleum/Oil/Gas minister, Muhammadu Buhari, has appointed Mele Kolo Kyari as the new group managing director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC. He becomes the 19th group managing director of the NNPC.
In a news release issued June 20, 2019 in Abuja by Ndu Ughamadu, NNPC group general manager for Public Affairs, President Buhari also appointed seven new chief operating officers.
The newly appointed officers are Roland Onoriode Ewubare (South-South), chief operating officer, Upstream; Mustapha Yinusa Yakubu (North Central) – Chief Operating Officer, Refining and Petrochemicals; Yusuf Usman (North East) – chief operating officer, Gas and Power and Lawrencia Nwadiabuwa Ndupu (South East), chief operating officer, Ventures. Others are Umar Isa Ajiya (North West), chief financial office, Adeyemi Adetunji (South West), Chief Operating Officer, Downstream and Garba Said (North West), chief operating officer, Corporate Services.
Until his new appointment, Kyari, a geologist, was group general manager, Crude Oil Marketing Division of NNPC and also doubled, since 13th May, 2018, as Nigeria’s national representative to the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, OPEC.
President Buhari has directed that the New GMD and the newly appointed chief operating officers work with the current occupiers of the various offices till July 7, towards a smooth transition on July 8, when their appointments would take effect to ensure a smooth transition.
However, the appointment of Farouk Garba Said (North West), who is replacing a retiring chief operating officer, is effective from June 28.
Ughamadu stated in the release that NNPC group managing director, Maikanti Baru, had congratulated the new appointees.
Kyari is a quintessential crude oil marketer with prerequisite certification and outfield pedigree in Petroleum Economics and crude oil and gas trading.
In the last 27 years he had traversed the entire value chain of the petroleum industry, with exceptional records of performance.
Under his watch, the Crude Oil Marketing Division has recorded noticeable transformation in the management and sales of the various Nigeria’s crude oil grades via an infusion of transparency and automation of the processes, the release by the NNPC spokesperson, stated.
