Following the removal of Mele Kyari and Pius Akinyelure as NNPC Bosses, President Bola Tinubu has appointed Bashir Ojulari as the new Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC). This appointment, effective April 2, 2025, was announced by Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, as part of a broader restructuring that also saw the dissolution and reconstitution of the NNPC board. Here are few thing to note about Bashir Ojulari
Bashir Ojulari, a native of Kwara State, brings to the role a wealth of experience as a seasoned Nigerian engineer specializing in petroleum, process, and production engineering. Prior to his appointment, he served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Renaissance Africa Energy Company. Notably, his firm recently spearheaded a consortium of indigenous energy companies in the $2.4 billion acquisition of Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria’s entire equity holding.
Ojulari’s academic background includes a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. 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. He is also a fellow of the Nigerian Society of Engineers and served on the Board of Trustees of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE Nigeria Council).
Throughout his extensive career, Ojulari has held various managerial positions in Europe and the Middle East, focusing on petroleum, process, and production engineering, as well as strategic planning, field development, and asset management. In 2015, he was appointed Managing Director of SNEPCo and General Manager, Deepwater. He also served on the board of Shell Petroleum Development Company, overseeing critical aspects of petroleum engineering and project development. His diverse experience and leadership roles position him as a key figure in the Nigerian energy sector.