NNPC Cleans House: Top Refinery Bosses Dismissed

 

In a bold move signaling deeper reforms within Nigeria’s oil sector, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd) has relieved the managing directors of the nation’s three state-owned refineries of their duties. The leadership overhaul comes as part of a broader restructuring campaign under the new administration's efforts to sanitize and modernize operations at the national oil behemoth.

The refinery heads affected include Ibrahim Onoja (Port Harcourt Refining Company), Efifia Chu (Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company), and Mustafa Sugungun (Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company). Their exits mark the latest chapter in NNPC’s ongoing internal recalibration.

In an extension of the shake-up, all management staff within a year of retirement have also been asked to proceed on exit signaling a clear directive: it’s time for fresh leadership, leaner operations, and results-driven reforms.

Though replacements have yet to be formally announced, the purge didn’t stop with the refinery bosses. Notable senior executives were also affected, including Bala Wunti recently reassigned from Chief Upstream Investment Officer at NAPIMS to Chief Health, Safety, and Environment Officer at NNPC Ltd and Lawal Sade, formerly Chief Compliance Officer and ex-Managing Director of NNPC Trading.

An insider emphasized that the shake-up is not a political witch-hunt, but rather a calculated step in a wider structural overhaul aimed at reinvigorating the corporation. This follows the dramatic dismissal of NNPC’s board by President Bola Tinubu earlier this month, which included former Group CEO Mele Kyari and board chairman Pius Akinyelure.

Now under fresh leadership, with Bayo Ojulari stepping in as the new Group Chief Executive Officer and Ahmadu Kida as non-executive chairman, NNPC Ltd has also unveiled a new eight-member senior management team tasked with steering the oil giant toward efficiency and transparency.

Industry watchers say the reforms are long overdue.

With decades of underperformance, opaque dealings, and underutilized refineries, the oil sector has been desperate for genuine reform. These recent moves might just be the jolt NNPC needs to finally turn a corner and begin operating like a truly commercial entity.