President Tinubu inaugurates new NNPCL board, appoints GCEO

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has officially inaugurated the newly reconstituted board of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), appointing Engineer Bashir Bayo Ojulari as the Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) and Ahmadu Musa Kida as the non-Executive Chairman.

The swearing-in ceremony took place on Thursday at the State House in Abuja, shortly before the President attended the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Summit at the Banquet Hall.

The 11-member board, considered a critical part of the ongoing reforms in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector, is expected to drive greater transparency, efficiency, and profitability within the NNPCL, now operating as a fully commercial entity.

Prominent government officials present at the inauguration included the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun; Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris; and the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Heineken Lokpobiri.

President Tinubu charged the newly appointed board members with the responsibility of driving transparency, efficiency, and renewed progress within Nigeria’s oil and gas sector.

The NNPCL board members are Adedapo Segun, Bello Rabiu, Yusuf Usman, and Babs Omotowa, a former managing director of the Nigerian Liquified Natural Gas( NLNG), who represents North-Central.

Austin Avuru, non-executive director from the South-South, David Ige as Non-executive director from the South-West, and Henry Obih as non-executive director from the South-East.

Mrs Lydia Shehu Jafiya, permanent secretary of the Federal Ministry of Finance, is to represent the ministry on the new board, while Aminu Said Ahmed will represent the Ministry of Petroleum Resources.

All the appointments have since taken effect since April 2, 2025.