President Muhammadu Buhari has appointed Mele Kolo Kyari as Group Managing Director for the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation to replace Maikanti Baru, who served for nearly four years.
His appointment takes effect from July 7, 2019.
The President has also appointed seven new Chief Operating Officers for the state –owned oil company. The new officers are: Mr. Roland Onoriode Ewubare (South-South), Chief Operating Officer, Upstream; Engineer Mustapha Yinusa Yakubu (North-Central), Chief Operating Officer, Refining and Petrochemicals; Engineer Yusuf Usman (North-East), Chief Operating Officer, Gas and Power; Ms. Lawrencia Nwadiabuwa Ndupu (South-East), Chief Operating Officer, Ventures; Mr. Umar Isa Ajiya (North-West) – Chief Financial Officer; Engineer Adeyemi Adetunji (South-West),Chief Operating Officer, Downstream; and Mr. Farouk Garba Said (North-West), Chief Operating Officer, Corporate Services, whose appointment takes effect from June 28, 2019 because he is replacing a retiring Chief Operating Officer.
A release on Thursday in Abuja by the NNPC Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs, Ndu Ughamadu, said the President has also directed that the new appointees work with the current occupants of the various positions from now till 7th July, 2019 towards a smooth transition on 8 July, 2019.
Until his new appointment, Kyari, a geologist, was Group General Manager, Crude Oil Marketing Division of NNPC and also doubled, since May 13, 2018, as Nigeria’s National Representative to the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, OPEC.
According to a Thisday report, Mr 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.
With his appointment, Mr Kyari will be the 19th Group Managing Director of the National Oil Company.
