President Bola Tinubu has appointed Engineer Bashir Bayo Ojulari as the new Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL).
The appointment was officially announced by Bayo Onanuga, the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, in a statement issued early Wednesday.
The statement, titled “President Tinubu Reconstitutes NNPCL Board, Appoints New Chairman, Group CEO,” revealed that Tinubu made the appointment using his powers under Section 59, Subsection 2 of the Petroleum Industry Act, 2021.
Additionally, the President removed Mele Kyari from his position as NNPCL’s Group Managing Director and dissolved the company’s board, including its chairman, Pius Akinyelure. An 11-member new board was subsequently reconstituted.
Before his appointment, Ojulari served as the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Renaissance Africa Energy Company.
He was instrumental in leading a consortium of indigenous energy companies that acquired Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria for $2.4 billion.
Ojulari holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria.
His professional journey began with Elf Aquitaine, where he became the first Nigerian process engineer. In 1991, he joined Shell Petroleum Development Company as an associate production technologist.
A fellow of the Nigerian Society of Engineers, Ojulari also served on the Board of Trustees of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE Nigeria Council) from 1998 to 1999.
He has built a broad expertise in petroleum engineering, process engineering, production engineering, and health and safety.
In 2015, Ojulari was appointed Managing Director of SNEPCo and General Manager, Deepwater.
He also contributed to the Shell Petroleum Development Company’s board, where he managed onshore and offshore petroleum operations, development planning, well engineering, and project management.
His experience extends beyond Nigeria, having worked in Europe and the Middle East in roles such as petroleum process and production engineering, strategic planning, field development, and asset management.
