Things to know about new NNPCL boss, Bayo Ojulari

By Olugbenga Ige

President Bola Tinubu has appointed Bashir Bayo Ojulari as the new Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited.

The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, disclosed the development in a statement he signed in the early hours of Wednesday titled, ‘President Tinubu reconstitutes NNPC limited board, appoints new Chairman, Group CEO.’

Onanuga stated that Tinubu, invoking the powers granted under Section 59, subsection 2 of the Petroleum Industry Act, 2021, also sacked Mele Kyari as the NNPCL GMD.

The President also dissolved the company’s board, including its chairman, Pius Akinyelure, and reconstituted an 11-member board.

According to Onanuga, Ojulari’s appointment takes effect on April 2, 2025.

Below is the profile of the new NNPCL boss.

Ojulari, an indigene of Kwara State, is a seasoned Nigerian engineer with expertise in petroleum, process, and production engineering.

Until his new appointment, He was Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Renaissance Africa Energy Company. His firm recently led a consortium of indigenous energy firms in the landmark acquisition of the entire equity holding in the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria, worth $2.4bn.

Ojulari is also an alumnus of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, having graduated with a degree in Mechanical Engineering.

He began his career as the first Nigerian process engineer at Elf Aquitaine before joining Shell Petroleum Development Company in 1991 as an associate production technologist.

A fellow of the Nigerian Society of Engineers, he was a member of the Board of Trustees of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE Nigeria Council) from 1998 to 1999.

Throughout his career, he has held managerial roles in Europe and the Middle East, specialising in petroleum engineering, process engineering, production engineering, and health and safety.

In November 2015, Ojulari was appointed Managing Director of SNEPCo and General Manager, Deepwater.

He also served on the board of Shell Petroleum Development Company, overseeing onshore and offshore petroleum engineering, technical integration of development, well engineering, and project engineering.

Apart from working in Nigeria, he worked in Europe and the Middle East in different capacities as a petroleum process and production engineer, strategic planner, field developer, and asset manager.