President Bola Tinubu in a bold move to reshape Nigeria’s oil and gas sector as well as restore investor confidence in a more commercially viable entity,
has dissolved the board of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, removing its chairman, Chief Pius Akinyelure, and Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO), Mallam Mele Kolo Kyari.
The sweeping changes, effective April 2, 2025, were announced in a statement signed by Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
President Tinubu cited the need for enhanced operational efficiency, restored investor confidence, and a more commercially viable NNPC as the driving forces behind the decision.
Invoking his powers under Section 59(2) of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) 2021, he reconstituted the board with new leadership aimed at repositioning NNPC Limited for greater productivity and alignment with global best practices.
He appointed Ahmadu Kida as the new non-executive chairman of NNPC Limited. Kida, an oil industry veteran with extensive experience at Elf Petroleum and Total Exploration and Production, previously served as Deputy Managing Director of Deep Water Services at Total Nigeria. He also held a position as an Independent Non-Executive Director at Pan Ocean-Newcross Group. Beyond his oil industry career, Kida is known for his tenure as president of the Nigerian Basketball Federation.
Replacing Kyari as GCEO is Bashir Ojulari, a seasoned executive in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector. Ojulari’s career spans roles at Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria and Renaissance Africa Energy Company. Notably, he led a consortium of indigenous energy firms in acquiring Shell’s equity holdings in Nigeria for $2.4 billion. His expertise includes petroleum engineering and strategic planning across Europe, the Middle East, and Nigeria.
The newly constituted 11-member board includes Adedapo Segun as Chief Financial Officer alongside six non-executive directors representing Nigeria’s geopolitical zones: Bello Rabiu (North West), Yusuf Usman (North East), Babs Omotowa (North Central), Austin Avuru (South-South), David Ige (South West), and Henry Obih (South East). Mrs. Lydia Shehu Jafiya from the Federal Ministry of Finance and Aminu Said Ahmed from the Ministry of Petroleum Resources will also serve on the board.
President Tinubu also set ambitious targets for the oil sector under his administration’s reforms.
By 2027, it aims to increase oil production to two million barrels per day and gas production to eight billion cubic feet daily. By 2030, these f
igures are expected to rise to three million barrels and ten billion cubic feet daily, respectively.
Additionally, NNPC’s crude oil refining capacity is projected to reach 200,000 barrels per day by 2027 and 500,000 barrels daily by 2030. President Tinubu envisioned attracting $30 billion in investments by 2027 and $60 billion by 2030.
To achieve these goals, Tinubu directed the new board to conduct a strategic portfolio review of NNPC-operated and joint venture assets to align operations with value maximization objectives. The restructuring also seeks to boost local content development and accelerate gas commercialization to diversify Nigeria’s energy resources.
President Tinubu expressed gratitude to outgoing board members for their service, particularly their efforts in rehabilitating refineries such as Port Harcourt and Warri. He wished them success in their future endeavors as his administration moves forward with its vision for a transformed oil and gas sector.
