NNPC Redeploys Top Management Officers in Major Reshuffle

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) will carry out a major shakeup which will see a number of top management officers who head different divisions of the corporation moved to new ones.

The shakeup, which is expected to take effect this week, is in line with the corporation's promise to deliver on its core mandates.

Some of the arms of the NNPC that will be affected in the reshuffle include the National Petroleum Investment Management Services (NAPIMS), Petroleum Products Marketing Company (PPMC), Group Public Affairs Division (GPAD) as well as the upstream division among others.

An online medium has reported that the shakeup would affect mainly Chief Operating Officers, Group General Managers and Managing Directors of its subsidiaries.

According to the order of reposting, the current Chief Operating Officer (COO), Upstream, Mr. Roland Ewubare, would move to Ventures and Business Development division while the COO Downstream, Adeyemi Adetunji, would move to Upstream.

Ewubare, in the new position, is to get additional responsibility of business development besides managing the group’s ventures. 

With the sharp drop in oil prices and other challenges, Ewubare would have the onerous task of laying the groundwork for the corporation to take up new business opportunities as the National Assembly prepares to pass the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) later this year. 

The new position would also see him traversing the downstream, midstream and upstream sectors to develop new ventures.

Prior to his promotion as COO of Upstream, Ewubare was the Group General Manager of Petroleum Investment Management Services (NAPIMS) between August 2017 and July 2019. He was also the Managing Director of Integrated Data Services Limited, an NNPC subsidiary, from August 2015 to August 2017.

 

A reliable source told the medium that the current COO, Ventures, Lawrencia Ndupu, would become COO of Downstream.

Also, the Managing Director, Petroleum Products Marketing Company (PPMC), Bala Wunti, will move to the NAPIMS as Group General Manager while the current GGM of NAPIMS, Musa Lawal, will become MD of PPMC.

Wunti, a seasoned professional, who has held key positions in the corporation, is being moved to NAPIMS because of his impeccable track record.

He was the Group General Manager, Corporate Planning and Strategy, before he was posted to the PPMC, and he led the Economic Management Team (EMT) that formed the Technical Committee for the review and amendment of the 1993 Deep Offshore Act (currently before the National Assembly)to improve the government take from Product Sharing Contracts.

However, a major feature of the shakeup is that more women will get opportunities to head top and sensitive positions.

Apart from the COO Ventures, who will now be COO Downstream, other women will also be promoted to top positions.

It was learnt that the General    Manager/Technical Adviser, Administration to the Group Managing Director of NNPC, Ada Nneka Nwagbara-Oyetunde, would now head the Nigerian Pipelines and Storage Limited as Managing Director.

Nwagbara-Oyetunde, who joined the NNPC in 1991, was also Manager of Human Resources, NETCO, between 2015 and 2018.

In addition, a top female officer is to become the General Manager of Finance while another will be promoted to the position of Chief Innovation Officer.

Furthermore, it was learnt that a new Group General. Manager, Public Affairs Division, will emerge from the exercise.

The online medium also reported that the present General Manager, London Office, Dr. Kennie Obateru, would be promoted to the position of GGM, Group Public Affairs Division.

Obateru, who joined the NNPC in 1992, has held key positions in the Public Affairs Division. He was Manager, Public Affairs of NAPIMS between 2010 and 2015.

He also held the position of Manager of Public Affairs, Port Harcourt Refinery, between 2008 and 2010, and was the Manager of Media Relations in the Group Public Affairs Division from 2007 to 2008.

Also, the current Managing Director of NIDAS, a subsidiary of the NNPC, Lawal Sade, will become the Managing Director, NNPC Trading Company comprising Duke Oil and HYSON/Calson.

It was also gathered that Adokiye Tombomieye, would retain his position as GGM, Crude Oil Marketing Division (COMD), having performed outstandingly since his assumption of office as the GGM, COMD.

According to the order of reposting, Billy Okoye will retain his position as the Managing Director of NNPC Retail, the arm that recently introduced its own brand of lubricants range under him.

In July 2016, Okoye was appointed the Executive Director of Commercial Division, PPMC, and in 2019, he became the Managing Director of NNPC Retail.

Sources, however, told the medium that 36 top management staff members would be retiring from the corporation.