NNPC fires over 200 employees in major shakeup
-
- Bala Wunti, Ibrahim Onoja, Lawal Sade, other Mele Kyari’s associates axed
- Women emerge in senior leadership roles
- Bala Wunti, Ibrahim Onoja, Lawal Sade, other Mele Kyari’s associates axed
In a sweeping restructuring effort, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited has laid off over 200 staff members, including senior executives, as part of its first major overhaul under the newly appointed Chief Executive Officer, Bayo Ojulari.
In the major shakeup, the NNPC terminated the services of a number of senior staff members, who served under the administration of the company’s former boss Mele Kyari.
Among those departing immediately are Bala Wunti, former chief of National Petroleum Investment Management Services and Ibrahim Onoja, Managing Director of the Kaduna Refinery.
Also asked to leave was Lawal Sade, the Chief Compliance Officer and former Managing Director of NNPC Trading.
Sources disclosed that over 200 employees have been impacted; marking the beginning of what may be a series of staff changes.
This restructuring has resulted in an increased representation of women in senior leadership roles, including the appointment of Maryam Idrisu as Managing Director of NNPC Trading — responsible for all crude oil transactions — and Obioma Abangwu as Chief Liaison Officer for board matters.
It was further revealed that the changes have been positively received by the staff.
The directors were sacked four weeks after Ojulari took over from Kyari who was removed as group chief executive officer on April 2, 2025.
Three days after he assumed office, NNPC appointed an eight-member senior management team.
According to the NNPC, Rowland Ewubare is appointed as Group Chief Operating Officer, and Adedapo Segun as Group Chief Finance Officer.
Others include Olalekan Ogunleye, as Executive Vice President Gas, Power and New Energy; Udy Ntia, Executive Vice President Upstream; Mumuni Dagazau, Executive Vice President Downstream; Sophia Mbakwe, Executive Vice President Business Services; and Adesuwa Dozie, Company Secretary and Chief Legal Officer.
The changes took effect immediately, according to multiple internal sources.
According to sources in the NNPC, the move was widely welcomed across both executive and junior ranks of the company, with many interpreting it as a push for greater diversity and inclusion under Ojulari’s leadership.
“This restructuring will enhance female representation in leadership positions,” a senior official said, requesting anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the matter.
Meanwhile, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has promised to look into a petition bordering on the allegations of corruption leveled against Mele Kyari.
The EFCC at its headquarters received the petition from a group of lawyers and civil society organisations who on Friday submitted the petition, calling for the probe of Kyari.
The commission’s spokesman, Dele Oyewale, who received the petition on behalf of the chairman, said the commission would look into the allegations raised.
“The issues raised in the petition will be looked into and will be addressed,” he said.
The petition alleged that Kyari perpetrated monumental fraud, tax evasion, economic sabotage, and abuse of office during his tenure from July 2019 to February 2025.
According to the Guardians of Democracy and Rule of Law led by Asika Raymond, Kyari collaborated with certain consultants and contractors to conceal the actual cost of refinery rehabilitation projects and evade taxes due to the Nigerian government.
One notable example cited was the Port-Harcourt Refinery, where the group alleged that the NNPCL under Kyari’s leadership expended $1.5billion, despite initial estimates of $1billion for the three refineries.
The petitioners questioned the transparency and accountability of the payments made to consultants and contractors handling the refineries’ rehabilitation projects.
The petition also alleged that crude oil allocations were diverted and financial transactions were carried out under the guise of “pipeline security” at a suspicious rate of 80,000 barrels per day, with no transparent process or accountability mechanism.
Furthermore, the petitioners raised concerns about fuel subsidy fraud, citing repeated allegations of inflated imports and false claims.
They also questioned the value of NNPCL’s crude-backed loans, which totaled $21.565 billion since 2019, with questionable purposes and outcomes.
The petition added: “There is credible information that crude oil allocations were diverted, and financial transactions were carried out under the guise of ‘pipeline security’ at a suspicious rate of 80,000 barrels per day, with no transparent process or accountability mechanism.
“There have been repeated allegations of fraud tied to the payment of fuel subsidies. It is instructive to note that while the rest of the world witnessed a decline in fuel consumption in 2020 due to COVID, NNPCL increased its imports of petroleum products during the same period.
“Under Mele Kyari, NNPCL took various crude-backed loans which hit $21.565 billion since 2019. Aside from mortgaging future production, the structure of these loans disadvantaged Nigeria as the upside from trading Nigeria’s crude in the international market was ceded to traders.
“The former GCEO also supervised massive spending on oil exploration activities in the aforementioned states. These explorations, allegedly running into several billions of Naira lack proper documentation, feasibility outcomes, or any demonstrable economic returns.”
The group urged the EFCC to investigate Kyari, forensically audit all payments made to consultants and contractors from 2019 to 2025, recover misappropriated public funds, and collaborate with the Federal Inland Revenue Service to probe suspected tax evasion.