NNPCL management sacks refinery MDs, senior officials in major shake-up

The new leadership of NNPCL, led by Bayo Ojulari and Musa Ahmadu-Kida, has reportedly sacked the managing directors of the Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna refineries, along with other senior officials

[dropcap]A[/dropcap] significant shake-up has reportedly occurred within the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) following the appointment of its new management and board.

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Sources within the state-owned oil firm have confirmed the dismissal of the managing directors overseeing the Port Harcourt Refining Company, the Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company, and the Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company.

The changes, reportedly orchestrated by the new Group Chief Executive Officer, Bayo Ojulari, and the executive non-chairman, Musa Ahmadu-Kida, have also affected other senior officials within NNPCL.

Among those reportedly shown the exit door is Bala Wunti, a former chief of the National Petroleum Investment Management Services (NAPIMS), a subsidiary of NNPCL.

Additionally, numerous officials nearing their retirement dates, with less than a year left in service, have also been asked to leave.

Reliable sources within NNPCL, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed the managerial overhaul late Tuesday night.

These people are MDs of Port Harcourt Refining Company, Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company, and the Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company. So you know more on the issue, some other senior managers were asked to leave as well,” a reliable source at NNPCL confirmed.

One source stated, “These people are MDs of Port Harcourt Refining Company, Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company, and the Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company. So you know more on the issue, some other senior managers were asked to leave as well.”

Another official corroborated the information, adding, “Bala Wunti was also told to leave. Several of them who have a year to retirement were asked to go. Maryam Idrisu was appointed Managing Director of NNPC Trading.”

As of the time of this report, the Spokesperson of NNPCL, Olufemi Soneye, has yet to respond to inquiries regarding the reported shake-up.

This sweeping change in NNPCL’s leadership follows President Bola Tinubu’s removal of Mele Kyari and Chief Pius Akinyelure from their positions as GCEO and Chairman of the Board, respectively, in April 2025. Their replacements were Ojulari and Ahmadu-Kinda.

The dismissals come against a backdrop of reported poor performance from the Port Harcourt and Warri refineries, despite significant rehabilitation efforts in the previous year.

While the Port Harcourt refinery had announced the resumption of production, it reportedly operated below 50 percent capacity.

Further scrutiny revealed that the Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company had been non-operational since January 25, 2025, due to safety concerns in its Crude Distillation Unit Main Heater.

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A prior report from the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority indicated that the Warri refinery, despite incurring $897.6 million in maintenance costs, failed to produce Premium Motor Spirit (petrol) and was shut down shortly after being declared operational by the former NNPCL boss, Kyari.