Mr. Mele Kolo Kyari, named the new Group Managing Director of Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), will assumed office from July 7 when the current holder of the post, Mr Maikanki Baru retires. He was appointed by President Muhammadu Buhari along with seven new Chief Operating Officers. The COOs will replace seven group executive directors who will retire along with Baru.

NNPC Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs, Mr. Ndu Ughamadu, announced the appointments in a statement yesterday in Abuja.

Kyari, a geologist, was Group General Manager, Crude Oil Marketing Division of NNPC. He is also Nigeria’s National Representative to Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, OPEC since May 13, 2018.

According to the statement, Mr Buhari has directed that the new GMD and the newly appointed Chief Operating Officers should work with current occupiers of the various offices till July 7, 2019 when their tenure would expire. It said this was to ensure a smooth transition on July 8 when their appointments would take effect.

However, the appointment of Mr. Farouk Garba Said (North West), who is replacing a retiring Chief Operating Officer, is effective from 28th June, 2019, the statement noted. The newly appointed Chief Operating Officers are: Mr. Roland Onoriode Ewubare (South-South) – Chief Operating Officer, Upstream; Mr Mustapha Yakubu (North Central) – Chief Operating Officer, Refining and Petrochemicals; Mr 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; Mr Adeyemi Adetunji (South West) – Chief Operating Officer, Downstream and Mr. Farouk Garba Said (North West) – Chief Operating Officer, Corporate Services. Ughamadu added that NNPC Group Managing Director, Baru, had congratulated the new appointees. He described Kyari as “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 statement added. Kyari would be the 19th GMD.

Daily Trust