By Destiny Day
President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the appointment of a new Group Managing Director for the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).
He is Mele Kyari, the current group general manager, crude marketing division, NNPC.
Also, Buhari has named seven new chief operating officers to assist Kyari with the duty of piloting the affairs of the government owned oil company.
Kyari replaces Maikanti Baru whose tenure ends July 7 when Kyari will assume office as NNPC GMD.
Kyari has been Nigeria’s Representative at the OPEC before his appointment.
He studied Geology at the University of Maiduguri, and has more than 27 years working experience with NNPC that saw him traverse the entire value chain of the petroleum industry and posting resounding performance in all his assignments and duty posts.
Kyari led a team that proposed and managed the Direct Sales and Direct Purchase (DSDP) arrangement of Petroleum products from 2016 to date, a process that saved the nation $1 million in 2016 when compared with the previous crude SWAP arrangement with products.
Kyari as head of Crude Oil Marketing Division of the NNPC has ensured optimum determination and secured government’s equities and entitlements of crude oil, Natural Gas Liquids, NGL, Liquefied Petroleum Gas, LPG production from various fiscal arrangements.
He was born in January 8, 1965 and attended Government Community Secondary School Biu in Borno State between 1977 to 1982.
Buhari has also approved the appointment of seven new Chief Operating Officers with effect from July7, 2019.
They new appointees are:
1. Mr. Roland Onoriode Ewubare (South-South) – Chief Operating Officer, Upstream;
2. Engineer Mustapha Yinusa Yakubu (North-Central) – Chief Operating Officer, Refining and Petrochemicals;
3. Engineer Yusuf Usman (North-East) – Chief Operating Officer, Gas and Power;
4. Ms. Lawrencia Nwadiabuwa Ndupu (South-East) – Chief Operating Officer, Ventures;
5. Mr. Umar Isa Ajiya (North-West) – Chief Financial Officer;
6. Engineer Adeyemi Adetunji (South-West) – Chief Operating Officer, Downstream; and
7. Mr. Farouk Garba Said (North-West) – Chief Operating Officer, Corporate Services (with effect from 28th June, 2019);
They are expected to work with the current occupants of the various positions between now and July 7, 2019 towards a smooth transition on July 8, 2019.
