Bayo Ojulari has officially assumed office as the new Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd), succeeding Mele Kyari who led the company through a significant phase of transformation.
Ojulari took over the leadership mantle on Friday during a brief handover ceremony held at the NNPC Towers in Abuja.
This was confirmed in a statement posted on Friday, April 4, on the company’s official X account, and signed by Olufemi Soneye, Chief Corporate Communications Officer of NNPC Ltd.
In his remarks, the new GCEO praised Kyari for his contributions to the growth of the company and the country’s energy sector. He pledged to build on Kyari’s achievements while setting new targets for the company’s future.
“The objective of my management is to consolidate on the successes of my predecessor and take the company to the next level,” Ojulari said.
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While acknowledging the weight of expectations placed on his administration, he said he would be relying heavily on the support of the company’s staff and the experience of his predecessor.
“I will be counting on your support. I will need it. I will be coming around to seek your counsel,” Ojulari told Kyari during the handover.
On his part, Kyari congratulated Ojulari on his appointment and expressed gratitude to the NNPCL Management and staff for their cooperation throughout his tenure.
He assured his successor of his continued support, saying, “I am only a call away.”
In a sweeping shake-up of Nigeria’s oil sector, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu dismissed the board of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited, including its Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO), Mele Kyari, and Board Chairman, Pius Akinyelure.
The decision was announced in the early hours of Wednesday, April 2, by presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga via a statement on the social media platform X.