President Bola Tinubu has appointed Engineer Bashir Ojulari as the new Group Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited. This appointment comes as part of a major restructuring of the NNPC board aimed at improving operational efficiency, restoring investor confidence, and driving economic growth.
The decision, which was announced by the Special Adviser to the President on Information & Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, was made under Section 59, subsection 2 of the Petroleum Industry Act, 2021. The restructuring also saw the removal of the company’s former Chairman, Pius Akinyelure, and Group CEO, Mele Kyari, along with all other board members appointed alongside them in November 2023.
The newly constituted 11-member NNPC board now includes Ojulari as the Group CEO and Ahmadu Kida as the Non-Executive Chairman. The new leadership aims to boost local content, accelerate gas commercialization, and support Nigeria’s diversification and economic growth.
Key Things to Know About Bashir Ojulari:
- Origin: Ojulari hails from Kwara State, Nigeria.
- Education: He holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria (1985–1989).
- Early Career: Ojulari began his career as a Fields and Process Engineer at Elf Petroleum Nigeria (1989–1991).
- Shell Experience: He joined Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC) in 1991 as an Associate Production Technologist and served in various roles within the company both in Nigeria and internationally.
- Shell Netherlands: Ojulari was part of the Integrated Studies Team at Shell Netherlands (1994–1995).
- Leadership Roles: He served as Head of Planning, Economics, and Budgeting at SPDC (1997–1999) and later became the Asset Leader and Head Production Technologist at Shell Oman (1999–2003).
- Sub-Saharan Africa: Ojulari worked as the Sub-Saharan Africa Regional Planner at Shell headquarters (2003–2004).
- Corporate Strategy: He was Manager of Corporate Planning and Strategy at SPDC (2005–2008).
- Asset Development: He managed Asset Development for Onshore and Shallow Water at SPDC (2008–2010).
- Development Director: From 2010 to 2015, Ojulari served as the Development Director at SPDC Nigeria.
- Managing Director: He served as Managing Director of Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCo) from 2015 to 2021.
- Entrepreneur: In 2021, Ojulari founded BAT Advisory and Energy Company Nigeria Ltd, where he served as Board Chairman.
- Renaissance Africa Energy: From January 2024 to 2025, he was Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Renaissance Africa Energy Company, during which the company acquired a Shell asset in Nigeria.
Ojulari’s extensive experience in both domestic and international oil and gas operations positions him well to lead NNPC towards achieving President Tinubu’s goals for the sector, including boosting production and refining capacities.
