The Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Dr. Maikanti Baru is expected to step down on July 7 for the newly appointed Mele Kolo Kyari, who has been Group General Manager of Crude Oil Marketing Division of Corporation.
A statement today, June 20 by the NNPC Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs, Ndu Ughamadu, did not give reason why Barau is being dropped but said that President Muhammadu Buhari also gave directive for the appointment of seven new Chief Operating Officers.
The new GMD, who is a geologist, has also been doubling as Nigeria’s National Representative to the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), since May 13 last year, 2018.
The statement gave the names of the newly appointed Chief Operating Officers as:
1. Roland Onoriode Ewubare (South-South) – Chief Operating Officer, Upstream
2. Engr. Mustapha Yinusa Yakubu (North Central) – Chief Operating Officer Refining and Petrochemicals
3. Engr. Yusuf Usman (North East) – Chief Operating Officer, Gas and Power
4. Ms. Lawrencia Nwadiabuwa Ndupu (South East), Chief Operating Officer Ventures
5. Umar Isa Ajiya (North West) – Chief Financial Officer
6. Engr. Adeyemi Adetunji (South West) – Chief Operating Officer, Downstream and
7. Farouk Garba Said (North West) – Chief Operating Officer, Corporate Services.
Mallam 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.
Kyari would be the 19th Group Managing Director of the National Oil Company.
