President Bola Tinubu has received massive applause for his decision to remove Malam Mele Kyari as the Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited.
Tinubu disbanded the NNPCL board on Wednesday, April 2, 2025, and reconstituted it with appointments into various key positions. He approved the removal of Chief Pius Akinyelure as the chairman and Kyari as the GCEO, among others.
The President replaced Kayari with Bashir Bayo Ojulari as Group CEO, and Ahmadu Kida replaced Akinyelure as non-executive chairman. Adedapo Segun, who replaced Umaru Ajiya as chief financial officer last November, has been appointed to the new board.
The restructuring aligns with the government’s vision of revitalising the oil sector and increasing Nigeria’s crude oil production and refining capacity.
Reacting to the development, an energy advocacy group, the Energy Reforms Advocates (ERA), lauded Tinubu’s decision, describing it as a courageous step toward reforming Nigeria’s oil sector and tackling entrenched corruption.
This is contained in a statement by Abdulkadri Isah, president of ERA, on Wednesday.
Isah said Kyari’s removal would allow a full investigation into alleged fraudulent refinery projects under former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.
“The dismissal of Mele Kyari signals a new dawn in our nation’s commitment to eradicating corruption in the oil and gas sector. We commend President Tinubu for demonstrating the political will to confront these challenges head-on,” he stated.
