The managing directors of the state-owned company’s refineries in Port Harcourt, Warri, and Kaduna have reportedly been fired by the new board and management of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, which is headed by Bayo Ojulari, the group chief executive officer, and Musa Ahmadu-Kida, executive non-chairman.
Bala Wunti, a former head of NNPCL’s subsidiary National Petroleum Investment Management Services, is one of the senior executives who have also been shown the door.
This occurs as a result of the new management’s request that several officials depart with one year left before their respective retirement dates.
The managerial shuffle was revealed to The Intercept on Tuesday night by trustworthy NNPCL sources who want to remain anonymous.
According to the source, these individuals are the managers of the Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company, the Kaduna Refining and Petrochemical Company, and the Port Harcourt Refining Company.
“So you know more on the issue, some other senior managers were asked to leave as well”, the source stated.
Also, another official of the company confirmed this, stating that “Bala Wunti was also told to leave. Several of them who have a year to retirement were asked to go. Maryam Idrisu was appointed Managing Director of NNPC Trading.”
However, the Spokesperson of NNPCL, Olufemi Soneye, is yet to respond to enquiry on the shake-up as of the time of filing this report.
Remember that President Bola Tinubu fired Mele Kyari and Chief Pius Akinyelure as GCEO and Board Chairman in April 2025? Ojulari and Ahmadu-Kinda took their places.
Reports of the Port Harcourt and Warri refineries’ poor performance following their restoration last year prompted the dismissal.
The Port Harcourt refinery had been operating at less than 50% even after it was announced that it would be producing petroleum products.
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After it was discovered that the Warri Refining and Petrochemical Company had been closed since January 25, 2025, because of safety concerns with its Crude Distillation Unit Main Heater, more improvements were made.
Recall that the refinery failed to produce Premium Motor Spirit (petrol) and was shut down just one month after former NNPCL boss Kyari declared it operational, according to an April 2025 document from the Nigerian Midstream and Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority. The refinery also squandered $897.6 million in maintenance costs.
