President Muhammadu Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday sacked Senator Ifeanyi Ararume, as the chairman of the board of Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, NNPC Limited.

The President had in September 2021 appointed Ararume as the chairman of the board of NNPC which was however not inaugurated.

But in a statement on Wednesday by Femi Adesina, the President replaced Ararume with Nrs Margret Chuba Okadigbo who was on the board headed by Ararume as the representative of the South east.

President Buhari did not give any reason for the change in chairmanship of the board and management of NNPC he appointed in accordance with the power vested in him under Section 59(2) of the Petroleum Industry Act 2021.

While all the other appointees announced in September 2021 were retained, the President appointed Henry Obih as the new representative of the South-east.

The statement by the presidency reads: “President Muhammadu Buhari has appointed the Board and Management of the in accordance with the power vested in him under Section 59(2) of the Petroleum Industry Act 2021.

Chairman of the Board is Senator Margret Chuba Okadigbo (South East), Mele Kolo Kyari, Chief Executive Officer, and Umar I. Ajiya, Chief Financial Officer.

Other Board Members are; Dr Tajudeen Umar (North East), Mrs Lami O. Ahmed (North Central), Mallam Mohammed Lawal (North West), Engr. Henry Obih (South East), Barrister Constance Harry Marshal (South South), and Chief Pius Akinyelure(South West).

The appointments take effect from the date of the incorporation of the NNPC Limited.

The President also Executive Commissioners of the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission. They are: Dr Nuhu Habib (Kano), Executive Commissioner, Development and Production, Dr Kelechi Onyekachi Ofoegbu (Imo), Executive Commissioner, Economic Regulations and Strategic Planning, Capt. Tonlagha Roland John (Delta), Executive Commissioner, Health, Safety, Environment and Community, and Jide Adeola (Kogi), Executive Commissioner, Corporate Services and Administration.

Earlier appointed are the Board Chairman, CEO, Executive Commissioner, Exploration and Acreage Management, and Executive Commissioner, Finance and Accounts.

New appointees at the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority are: Francis Alabo Ogaree (Rivers), Executive Director, Hydrocarbon Processing, Mustapha Lamorde (Adamawa), Executive Director, Health, Safety, Environment and Community, Mansur Kuliya (Kano), Executive Director, Midstream and Downstream Gas Infrastructure Fund, Bashir Sadiq (Sokoto), Executive Director, Corporate Services and Administration, and Dr Zainab Gobir (Kwara), Executive Director, Economic Regulations and Strategic Planning.

They joined the Board Chairman, Executive Director, Downstream Systems, Storage and Retailing Infrastructure, the CEO, and Executive Director, Finance and Accounts, who had earlier been appointed.

For Midstream and Downstream Infrastructure Fund, new Council Members are; Mr Effiong Abia (Akwa Ibom), Bobboi Ahmed (Adamawa), and Engr. Abdullahi Bukar (Katsina).

It will be recalled that President Buhari had last September written the Senate on the administrative structure amendments to the Petroleum Industry Act, which included appointment of Non-Executive Board Members, removal of the Ministries of Petroleum and Finance from the Board of the two new institutions, and appointment of Executive Directors.